Halftime Report
Only two more quarters stand between the Magic and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. A win is still up for grabs for either team after two quarters, but the Magic are up 56-53 over the Pistons. This contest is far closer than the pair’s previous matchup, which was decided by 22 points.
If the Magic keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 11-7 in no time. On the other hand, the Pistons will have to make due with a 7-11 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Detroit Pistons @ Orlando Magic
Current Records: Detroit 7-10, Orlando 10-7
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Kia Center — Orlando, Florida
- TV: FanDuel SN – Detroit
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $22.22
What to Know
The Magic will be playing the full four quarters on Saturday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will host the Detroit Pistons at 7:00 p.m. ET at Kia Center. The Magic will be looking to keep their 14-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
The Magic will bounce into Saturday’s contest after (finally) beating the Lakers, who they had gone 2-8 against in their ten prior meetings. The Magic skirted by the Lakers 119-118 on Thursday thanks to a clutch shot from Franz Wagner with 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Wagner went supernova for the Magic, dropping a double-double on 37 points and 11 assists. The dominant performance gave Wagner a new career-high in assists.
The Magic were working as a unit and finished the game with 31 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve managed all season.
Meanwhile, the Pistons fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Hornets on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of Charlotte by a score of 123-121. The close match was extra heartbreaking for Detroit, who almost overcame a 20 point deficit.
Despite their loss, the Pistons saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tobias Harris, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points plus eight rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Harris is trending in the right direction considering he’s improved his point production for four straight games.
Orlando is on a roll lately: they’ve won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 10-7 record this season. As for Detroit, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 7-10.
The Magic took their win against the Pistons in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 113-91. Will the Magic repeat their success, or do the Pistons have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Orlando is a big 9.5-point favorite against Detroit, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 9.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 206.5 points.
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Series History
Orlando has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Detroit.
- Mar 03, 2024 – Orlando 113 vs. Detroit 91
- Feb 24, 2024 – Orlando 112 vs. Detroit 109
- Feb 04, 2024 – Orlando 111 vs. Detroit 99
- Dec 08, 2023 – Orlando 123 vs. Detroit 91
- Apr 02, 2023 – Orlando 128 vs. Detroit 102
- Feb 23, 2023 – Orlando 108 vs. Detroit 106
- Dec 28, 2022 – Detroit 121 vs. Orlando 101
- Oct 19, 2022 – Detroit 113 vs. Orlando 109
- Mar 17, 2022 – Detroit 134 vs. Orlando 120
- Jan 28, 2022 – Orlando 119 vs. Detroit 103
