Oladipo spurs Magic to 112-98 win over Pistons

0

ORLANDO, Fla. — Victor Oladipo knows if he just keeps shooting the shots will start to drop. Wednesday
night’s game against the Pistons was a case in point.
The Magic rookie guard and fellow reserve Kyle O’Quinn came off the bench to spark the Magic to a 112-98
victory over Detroit.
After shooting 5 for 27 as a starter in the two preceding games, Oladipo scored eight of his 20 points in
the fourth quarter Wednesday night in a game that led to heated exchange between Will Bynum and coach
Maurice Cheeks.
“I was shooting the shots I could make,” Oladipo said. “Today I made them and the past two games I didn’t
make them. I’m just trying to keep shooting with confidence.”
The 6-foot-10 O’Quinn blocked six shots and joined Oladipo and Glen Davis in sparking a second-quarter
rally that gave the Magic a double-digit lead.
After starting 31 games, Oladipo was bumped to the bench to accommodate Jameer Nelson’s return from a
knee injury. The third Magic player off the bench Wednesday night, Oladipo made 8 of 10 shots and all
four of his free throws and turned back a Piston rally with a steal and dunk midway through the fourth
quarter.
Davis added 18 points and three other players scored in double figures for the Magic, who won for the
fourth time in their last five home games.
Maurice Harkless finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, leading the Magic to a 44-36 advantage on the
glass over the NBA’s top rebounding team.
Josh Smith scored 25 points for the Pistons, who fell behind by 20 points in the third quarter after
beating the Magic by 16 points just eight days ago.
The low point came for the Pistons when Bynum exchanged words with Cheeks during a second-quarter
timeout. Cheeks pulled Bynum from the game and never put him back in.
“That was my choice, but it was in the heat of the game,” Cheeks explained. “The game was more important
than me and Will was far as I’m concerned. The things we didn’t do allowed us to get beat like that.”

Oladipo, Davis and Arron Afflalo scored in double figures in the first half, when the Magic took a
14-point lead by shooting 51 percent.
The Magic led by only two points when Oladipo entered the game with 2:28 remaining in the first quarter.
They made 13 of 23 shots in the second quarter and led by double figures after Davis’ 8-foot jump hook
with 2:53 left in the first half.
O’Quinn hit a jumper from the free-throw line midway through the second quarter to start a 21-9 Orlando
spurt that left the Magic with a 57-43 halftime lead.
O’Quinn blocked two straight shots by Brandon Jennings as the Pistons were attempting to come back in the
third quarter.
“I really didn’t notice the score at that point, but we knew that somebody had to do something to get it
rolling on our side again,” O’Quinn said. “We knew something had to happen and it was up to any of us to
change the momentum and do something.”
Jennings shot 5 for 23 for the game and scored 15 points for the Pistons, who had 15 turnovers and missed
nine of 23 free throws.
NOTES: O’Quinn became the first Magic player since Dwight Howard to block six shots in a game. … Kyle
Singler started only his second game of the season for Detroit and made 3 of 4 3-point attempts. … The
Magic had 29 assists (11 by Nelson) on 44 field goals.

No posts to display