Life on the road clearly agrees with the Detroit Pistons, who are trending upward ahead of their matchup against the host Orlando Magic on Saturday.
Detroit won for the 12th time in its last 16 games on Wednesday, notching another road victory by beating the Atlanta Hawks 114-104. Cade Cunningham led the way with 29 points and 11 assists.
Detroit has also won four straight and seven of its last eight games on the road. The Pistons are one of the youngest teams in the NBA, which makes their road success even more surprising.
“Oddly enough, our guys kind of thrive on the road,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Whatever those environments bring to them, I think it just highlights how connected this group is, and they like to play in adverse environments.”
Cunningham is averaging 24.6 points and 9.4 assists for the Pistons, who are seeking their first playoff berth since 2019. Center Jalen Duren is averaging 12.1 points and 11.3 rebounds in his last 12 games.
Duren said the team’s success on the road can be attributed to several factors, including confidence.
“We walk in arenas and we feel we can beat any team in the league,” Duren said. “When we’re locked in and we’re playing together it has a lot to do with our depth that we talk about, just having guys who can come in and make plays and get the job done.”
Detroit continues its five-game road trip with a meeting against Orlando, which has lost five straight and seven of its last eight games.
The Magic were held to a season-low point total in a 101-79 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. Orlando shot 34.2 percent from the field and 24.0 percent from 3-point range.
Magic forward Franz Wagner returned after missing 20 games due to a torn right abdominal muscle and had 20 points in 24 minutes against the Blazers.
“It was really cool to play again,” Wagner said. “I was pretty nervous before the game. It was a long time for me to be out. I felt decent within the game. It’s going to take me a little bit to hopefully get back into a rhythm.”
Wagner rejoins an injury-plagued Magic team that is looking to rediscover its early-season success.
“We are struggling right now,” Wagner said. “We have to understand we have to stick together. It’s part of the long season and you go through ups and downs. It’s going to take everyone and us staying together to get out of it. We have a bunch of games left. No reason to hang our heads. But we have to get better.”
Orlando is easing star Paolo Banchero back into action with a minutes restriction. Banchero has played seven games since returning from an oblique injury. He scored eight points on 1-of-14 shooting in the loss to Portland.
The Magic are monitoring the status of Goga Bitadze (concussion protocol), Gary Harris (left hamstring) and Cole Anthony (illness), who were each unavailable on Thursday.
Orlando and Detroit have split their first two meetings this season, with the Magic winning 111-100 on Nov. 23 and Detroit recording a 105-96 victory on Jan. 1.
–Field Level Media
