Alec Burks scored 32 points and the host Detroit Pistons snapped a six-game losing streak with a 121-101 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
The game was marred by a skirmish that resulted in three ejections. Orlando’s Moritz Wagner and Detroit’s Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo were tossed for an altercation in the final minute of the first half.
Chasing after a loose ball, Wagner committed a Flagrant Foul 2 by shoving Hayes into the Pistons bench. Diallo and Hayes were tossed for retaliating by striking Wagner from behind.
Burks went 10-for-11 from the field, including six made 3-pointers, and went 6-for-6 from the foul line. Saddiq Bey poured in 28 points and added eight rebounds and four assists, while Bojan Bodganovic had 14 points with five assists. Jalen Duren grabbed 18 rebounds.
Detroit, which squandered a 14-point lead in the final three minutes to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, got 76 points from its reserves.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 19 points. Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 points and Paolo Banchero added 15.
The Pistons finished the first half with a 27-10 run to gain a 66-47 lead. Bey and Burks combined for 30 points before the break.
Duren got the outburst going with a putback and a dunk. Bey had 10 points and an assist during that stretch, while Bogdanovic and Diallo each tossed in five points with an assist. Burks capped off the half with a pair of free throws.
Burks stayed hot in the third quarter, firing in a trio of 3-pointers and a layup to increase Detroit’s lead to 25 at 86-61.
Orlando then reeled off 10 unanswered points, capped by a Banchero dunk. The Pistons carried a 92-77 advantage into the fourth.
The Magic’s Gary Harris hit a 3-pointer with 8:46 left to cut Detroit’s lead to 12 points. Burks answered with another long ball, reaching the 30-point mark in the process.
Orlando never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.
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