DETROIT (AP) — Ben Wallace and Rick Mahon watched like proud uncles as the Detroit Pistons pounded the Orlando Magic in the paint and met them at the rim before winning 98-83 to tie their first-round series.
“I’m sure they appreciate it,” Pistons power forward Isaiah Stewart said.
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Wallace, the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Mahorn, the bad boy enforcer, helped the Pistons win a lot of games that looked like Wednesday night’s slugfest.
Stewart had two blocks, one of which prevented Paulo Banchero’s dunk.
“I’m willing to risk my life to go to these games for the energy,” Stewart said.
Top-seeded Detroit held eighth-seeded Orlando to 33 percent shooting, with season lows in points and field goal percentage. The Pistons forced 19 turnovers and blocked 11 shots.
“When we defend to the level we’re capable of, it triggers everything in us,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We can be an elite defensive team, a disruptive defense. That’s Pistons basketball. That’s what it is.
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“We had a night, but it came at the wrong time.”
In the first game, the Pistons had a sluggish start in the first half of the first half, allowing the Magic to shoot nearly half of their field goals. All five Orlando starters scored at least 16 points and eventually won 112-101.
The Pistons were the aggressor in Game 2, blocking seven shots in the opening 12 minutes, tying the team’s playoff record for blocks in a quarter.
In the third quarter, they went on a 30-3 run and defeated the Magic 38-16.
Detroit came out strong in the fourth quarter to earn its first playoff win at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons snapped an 11-game losing streak at home in the NBA playoffs dating back to 2008 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
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“Obviously, we heard it,” Tobias Harris said after scoring 16 points, two blocks and two steals.
The Magic, somewhat reluctantly, gave the Pistons defense some credit.
“They did a really good job of reaching, grabbing and controlling,” Orlando coach Jamal Mosley said. “They protect the paint and our ability to go downhill.”
Magic’s Jalen Suggs scored 19 points and Banchero scored 18 points. They made just 14 of 35 total field goals.
“They met us at the basket a few times and they brought intensity to the defense,” Banchero said. “But we looked good, but no one really had a good night shooting.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA