Hits and Flops: Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons
Result: Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 120-115 in overtime.
When the Pistons hosted the Magic, they were ailing from the most recent loss by the hands of Utah still.
Detroit pulled away in the third period but Orlando managed to push it past for overtime, where eventually, the hosts emerged victorious. The 120-115 overtime loss for the Magic was their 20th in the last 26 games played in Detroit.
The Pistons improved to 19-24(0.442) on the season though down at the 9th spot and still 12.5 games below the Conference leaders. This was only their third win in the last ten games.
On the other hand, Orlando Magic have lost significant touch and have now slid down to a disappointing 10th spot, right below the team they lost to. They possess a 19-25(0.432) win-loss record to show for the season, having won just seven games on the road this season so far.
Keeping the individual performances in mind, let's list the two best performers followed by the two who disappointed in this thrilling clash.
Hit: Blake Griffin
Although Griffin missed a possible game-winner after running down the clock in the dying minutes of regulation, his overall performance is still worthy of applause.
Blake had just dropped his second highest score of the season(44) against his former team a couple of games ago. For a man who is on a tear this season offensively, Griffin lived up to the reputation, scoring a game-high 30 points playing a game-high 40 minutes on the night.
"I thought we were sluggish, which is understandable coming off a West Coast trip, but we dug down defensively," Griffin said. "In overtime, we were getting stops and forcing them into shots that we wanted. That was great."
Shooting a decent 11-of-18 from the floor, he also contributed with a pair of blocked shots on the defensive end and made seven of his ten attempted free-throws.