A win tonight would keep the Magic 2 games ahead of the Pistons who are just outside the 8th seed looking in. A loss however would tie up the two organization's 2015-2016 records.
The Pistons come into tonight's game 5-5 over the last 10 games compared to 6-4 for Orlando.
Look for Orlando to struggle to keep Drummond's dominance of the boards at bay. He is averaging over 19 rebounds per game over the last 3 games and is sitting on season averages of over 18/16 a game.
Detroit is a disciplined defensive team so don't expect many foul calls to go Orlando's way tonight.
Injury Notes-
Both starting point guards have ankle issues.
Jackson's rolled ankle heightens PG intrigue: Brandon Jennings may be in line for an increased role faster than he thinks. Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson rolled his left ankle with 2:20 left in Saturday's 94-82 loss to the Indiana Pacers, and while he remained in the game the rest of the way, he was in clear discomfort and how the injury responds overnight remains to be seen. -
Payton, meanwhile, was kicked in the ankle area and his status for tonight's game remains unclear. He sat out a rare back-to-back practice on Sunday.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JoshuaBRobbins/status/684013127223119872[/tweet]
Possible Lineup Change Coming for Orlando
In the second time in a span of a few weeks, Orlando coach Scott Skiles hinted after Orlando's loss to the Cavaliers Saturday that the club may look to a new lineup to overcome energy issues to start games. The team has tried to plug holes and has done so effectively, only to have new holes open up and start leaking shortly thereafter. It is unclear if there is a way to plug some glaring weaknesses with the current combination of players on the roster.
*Found a relevant article, BS must be reading my posts.*
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/magic-basketblog/os-magic-scott-skiles-coaching-moves-20160103-post.html
The Lookout
The Pistons like the pick and roll, and Reggie Jackson runs it often and steady. More than 50% of his plays are pick and roll, and he converts at 0.83 PPP. He attempts to score on ~80% of his pick and roll plays so our guard defense will need to be on point tonight.
The Opposing Coach
On the other end of the court ex-Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, best seen here in his natural setting:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rztY0oxObXI[/youtube]
Our Coach
"When we talked to the guys this morning about if we have any intention of playing in the postseason or having a chance of winning a series, generally you don't win a (playoff) game 120-111," Skiles told the Magic's official website. "You might win one game, but generally it's 96-91. If we don't understand that now, there won't be a postseason anyway."
The coach said he may re-insert Victor Oladipo into the starting lineup. Oladipo, averaging 12.4 points, has come off the bench the last 20 games.
Payton said. ``I just want to keep getting better and maybe one day I can be the all-time all assists leader for the Magic.’’
