Detroit Pistons aim to bounce back from blowout loss when they face Orlando Magic on NBA Primetime
Watch Detroit Pistons @ Orlando Magic live on Sky Sports Football on Sunday night at 8:30pm
Sunday 30 December 2018 20:59, UK
The Detroit Pistons visit the Orlando Magic on NBA Primetime, live on Sky Sports Football on Sunday evening at 8:30pm.
The Pistons (16-17) suffered a heavy 125-88 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night and have now lost seven of their past 10 outings. They will be desperate to rediscover the winning touch after slipping into eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Live NBA: Detroit @ Orlando
Detroit would have been optimistic that a trip to Orlando was the perfect antidote to their recent woes against a Magic team mired in a four-game losing streak.
That all changed on Friday night as 30 points and 20 rebounds from center Nikola Vucevic propelled Orlando to an unlikely 116-87 blowout win over Eastern Conference leaders the Toronto Raptors and breathe life back into a season that was threatening to wither away.
The Magic (15-19) occupy 10th place in the East and, with Vucevic and their trio of young big men - Jonathan Isaac, Mo Bamba and the high-flying Aaron Gordon - will challenge Detroit's twin bigs Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. Fresh with renewed impetus following the Toronto win, Orlando are primed to give Detroit a tough evening's work.
Key Battle: Andre Drummond v Nikola Vucevic
The outcome of the duel between offensive-minded centers Drummond and Vucevic will go some way to deciding the outcome of the Primetime clash.
The 6ft 11in Drummond is a double-double machine and he averages 17.7 points and a league-leading 15.4 rebounds per game this season.
Magic center Vucevic boasts equally impressive numbers, posting 20.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Unlike Drummond, the 7ft Montenegrin has three-point range too, and is connecting on 39.0 per cent of shots from beyond the arc.
Last time out
Numbers game
29.1 - That's Blake Griffin's usage rate, the percentage of Detroit's possessions he uses when he is on the court, the 17th highest in the league.
The number reflects Griffin's twin role as scorer and initiator of the Pistons' offense and the responsibility he carries into every game. With the ball in his hands so often, Griffin has to play well for the Pistons to compete.
One to watch (Pistons): Reggie Jackson
The Detroit guard can be maddeningly inconsistent and averages a pedestrian 15.2 points and 4.4 assists per game.
But on a given night when he finds his shooting touch, Jackson has proven he can light up any opponent and provide game-winning scoring contributions. He has topped 20 points on seven occasions this season, including a 24-point, 53.7 per cent shooting performance in a December 19 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
One to watch (Magic): Aaron Gordon
At his best, power forward Gordon is a super-athletic human highlight reel, capable of producing eye-catching dunks like the Karl Malone 'Mailman' finish he deployed when the Magic meet the Pistons on November 7.
Gordon is developing his game, shooting three-pointers better (38.1 per cent) than at any point in his career while still contributing consistently with rebounds (7.5 per game) and overall scoring (15.3 points per game).
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