Omari Sankofa II

Ron Holland struggling on 3s, but Pistons want him to keep shooting Ron Holland II is a strong fit on a Detroit Pistons team that wins by locking down defensively and in the paint. His 3-point jumper is rough, though.

I talked to Ron Holland about his drive vs shoot process and the trust his coaches and teammates have in him to keep taking 3s, even though they’re not falling for him yet.

“I work on my game. It’s not time to go out there and act scared now.”

www.freep.com/story/sports...

Related stat: The Pistons are 23-2 this season when they make at least 12 3-pointers

The Pistons set season-lows in made 3-pointers (4-30) and 3-point percentage (13.3%) tonight and still beat Orlando on the road by 14.

Just briefly caught up with John Beilein in the hallway postgame. He was very impressed with what Ausar did defensively in the second half

LeVert on the team's improved defense: "More communication was the main culprit for it and it led to more easy baskets on the offensive end.

When we need to get stops, we buckle down and do it. The growth area for us is doing it for 48 minutes, doing it from the start."

Arguably won them the game. No way they win going 4-30 from 3 without him blowing up Orlando's offense in the third and getting the Pistons going in transition

JB: "Our identity is winning in the trenches, creating as much chaos as we can and winning no matter the situation ... whatever it may be, they find a way to put together enough stops to spark us in transition and help us pull out a win."

JB said he's repeatedly called Tobias a "safety blanket" over the past two seasons. "No matter the situation, no matter time score, the play that needs to be made Tobias time and time again has made that play."

JB on Ausar: "You have to account for how he creates that chaos and extra opportunities for our team. The deflections, the blocks, the steals, the rebounds … he can stop a run on his own. He can create a run on his own because of his ability to make uncanny play after play."

FINAL: Pistons 106, Magic 92. Outscored Orlando 56-35 in the second half, shooting 53.5% while holding them to 30.8%. They improve to 45-14 overall.

Cunningham: 29 pts, 11 assts, 7 rebs, 2 stls
Harris: 23 pts, 7 rebs
Thompson: 9 pts, 11 rebs, 3 assts, 3 blks, 2 stls

Pistons needed a second scorer to step up tonight. Harris answered that call with his best game in a week. 21 points, 7 rebounds, 9-16 overall. Has 13 points in the 2nd half on 6-8 shooting.

Just gave the Pistons their biggest lead of the night, 97-85, midway through the 4th.

In the second half, the Pistons have a 9-0 lead in fastbreak points and 8-0 lead in points off turnovers. Defense leading to offense. Up 87-83 after back-to-back layups from Duren and Holland

End of 3: Pistons 81, Magic 75. Held Orlando to four points in the final 5:06 to take control.

Cunningham: 25 pts, 8 assts, 6 rebs
Harris: 17 pts, 7 rebs
Duren: 12 pts, 7 rebs
Thompson: 4 pts, 8 rebs, 3 assts, 3 blks, 1 stl

Pistons 75, Magic 71 with 2:51 left in the 3rd. They're 3-5 from 3 and have held Orlando to 6-15 overall this quarter

Much of the offense is just Ausar creating defensive havoc and the Pistons pushing in transition off it

Ausar has two monster blocks this quarter. He gets off the ground so fast, it's like he just appeared in midair to meet the shots

Pistons' defense has been solid all night. They've hit a couple 3s and things are finally opening up offensively

A monster block by Ausar sets up an open 3 for Harris on the other end. Pistons just took their first lead of the night, 67-65. They've opened the 2nd half with a 17-8 run

Cade just knocked down his first 3 of the night, and the Pistons' 2nd, to cut it to one. The Pistons are 2-20 from deep and Cade is 1-7

Halftime: Magic 57, Pistons 50. Within single digits despite shooting just 1-for-18 from 3. Otherwise they’re 18-32 inside the arc and have been strong on the glass.

Cunningham:15 points (6-15), 5 assts, 4 rebs, 2 stls
Duren: 10 pts, 5 rebs
Harris, Holland: 8 pts

Green just knocked down their first 3, making them 1-16 as a team

Magic 45, Pistons 36 with 4:35 left in the 1st half.

Neither team has shot well from 3, but the Magic are 3-10 and the Pistons are 0-15. Pistons also have put Orlando on the line a lot, Magic have an 18-10 edge in free throw attempts and 14-8 lead in makes.

They could use this tonight tbh

Pistons are 0-13 from 3.

End of 1: Magic 26, Pistons 23. Pistons are 9-18 inside the arc, but 0-11 from 3. Shooting struggles continue. They’re working the glass with a 7-2 lead in offensive rebounds. Cunningham has 10 points and 4 assists.

Seems like the Pistons have had to work hard for their shots. And they're 0-6 from 3. Down 20-19 after a pair of free throws from Holland.

Ausar just picked up his second foul midway through the 1st. Holland's checking in

Charlotte, Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta are probably the road cities that draw the most Pistons fans

Some MVP chants for Cade at Kia Center. Orlando is one of the most Pistons-friendly road cities

Successful challenge, it's Detroit's ball. Not sure if I would've challenged that early, but it did look like the wrong call in real time