Orlando Magic beat Detroit Pistons 113-105 at home on Saturday, April 25.
The game, quarter by quarter
The teams matched each other with 26 points apiece in the first quarter, leaving it level at 26. The Magic moved in front with a 35-28 second quarter, carrying a 7-point lead into halftime.
The Magic won the third 26-25 to create some separation, taking a 8-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 26 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Magic closed regulation with a 113-105 lead.
What decided it
The Magic grabbed 30.4% of their own misses, while the Pistons recovered 22.7%. The Magic made 29.2 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 23.5 for the Pistons. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Magic produced 110.2 points per 100 possessions to 102.4 for the Pistons.
Who made the difference
Paolo Banchero was the game's biggest individual force for ORL: 25 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl on 6-17 shooting. His Game Score of 25.2 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Ausar Thompson led the Pistons with 17 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 5 blk on 7-10 shooting, good for a 21.4 Game Score.
Paolo Banchero (25 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast) and Wendell Carter Jr. (14 pts, 17 reb, 3 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 49% for the Magic.
Across the last 9 meetings in our records, Orlando Magic lead 5-4.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.