Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Jennings scored 24 points and handed out a career-high 21 assists in the Detroit Pistons' 128-118 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Detroit's frontcourt benefited from Jennings' effective passing as it won for the third time in four games. Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 26 points, and Greg Monroe was not far behind with 24 of his own. Drummond and Monroe had 17 and 10 rebounds, respectively.
The Magic saw their losing streak reach three games despite shooting 49.5 percent. Nikola Vucevic paced Orlando with 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Victor Oladipo added 23. Tobias Harris returned from a five- game absence due to an ankle injury with 19 points.
"It took a little bit to get going out there in the first half," said Harris. "I love this game so I'm going to play it to the best of my ability."
By shooting 54.9 percent through three quarters, the Pistons led by 12 entering the fourth quarter. Monroe's layup 30 seconds into the final period extended their advantage to 98-84, but Detroit went cold after that.
Orlando took advantage of the Pistons' drought and went on a 12-0 run to pull within two for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. The run started with three-point plays from Harris, and Kyle O'Quinn added four before Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's four-point play stopped the Orlando momentum.
"We did a great job after they got the game back to two," said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. "We gathered ourselves really well and played very well down the stretch. It's another learning experience."
The Pistons recovered later in the quarter and opened up another significant lead. Jennings' jumper with 6:22 to go started a 14-2 Detroit run that restored its edge to 14 points. Jodie Meeks scored five points in the spurt, including a triple to cap it off. Orlando did not get within single digits again.
Detroit's attack overwhelmed the Magic in the first quarter. Shooting 58.3 percent, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, the Pistons owned a 35-24 edge going into the second quarter.
Oladipo keyed a late run in the second quarter to pull the Magic within six, but they failed to close the half. Over the final 2 1/2 minutes, the Pistons outscored Orlando 13-2 with Jennings assisting on their last four baskets, including Kyle Singler's 3-pointer as time expired that gave Detroit a 65-48 lead at the break.
Drummond's alley-oop courtesy of Jennings 1 1/2 minutes into the second half gave the Pistons a game-high 21-point lead, but the Magic quickly answered with five straight points. Detroit led 96-84 through three quarters after O'Quinn and Harris hit shots in the final minute of the period.
Game Notes
Jennings' 20-point, 20-assist game is the first in the NBA since Steve Nash accomplished the feat on Nov. 9, 2009 ... Detroit's 128 points was the most it scored since March 18, 2008, a 136-120 win over Denver ... With his three blocks, Drummond reached 300 in his career ... Orlando fell to 12-1 when scoring 100-plus points ... Detroit now holds a 2-1 edge in the season series which will wrap up on March 27 in Orlando.
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