NBA Game Summary - Orlando at Detroit
Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Tobias Harris scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Orlando Magic over the Detroit Pistons, 107-93, on Monday.
Nikola Vucevic added 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic, who outscored Detroit by a 29-17 margin in the fourth. Evan Fournier and Channing Frye tallied 14 and 12 points, respectively.
"That's how we want to play every single game. We trust each other," said Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn. "We continue to trust each other throughout the game. That's team basketball. That's how we're built and hopefully guys continue to understand that's how we have to play to win."
Caron Butler ended with 20 points and six boards for Detroit, which fell to 3-8 on the young season. Brandon Jennings had 18 points.
Holding an 88-87 lead, the Magic used a 6-0 spurt to gain some breathing room. Luke Ridnour's three-point play and Fournier's 3-pointer made it 94-87 with 6:53 to play.
Andre Drummond responded with a three-point play, but Orlando ended the game on a 13-3 run. Harris tallied seven points during the burst.
"We got the game back to 88-87 and I made some questionable substitutions down the stretch," said Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy. "We didn't defend, they had us spread out, they shot the ball well and I don't think we ever really impacted them defensively. We're going to see the same things the next couple of games so it's something we're going to have to take care of."
Trailing 52-49, the Magic started the third quarter on a 15-3 run. Channing Frye made two 3-pointers during the surge that Victor Oladipo capped with a free throw for a 64-55 lead.
Detroit eventually took the lead back, but the Magic took a 78-76 edge into the fourth.