Pistons lose third straight, 105-96 to Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Nikola Vucevic had 37 points and 11 rebounds, Evan Fournier added a season-high 29 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 105-96 on Sunday night.

The Magic have won three in a row, their longest since opening the season 4-0. The teams will play again in Orlando on Tuesday night.

Vucevic had his seventh 30-point game of the season, two days after his third career triple-double. Fournier had a season high for the second straight game.

Vucevic, took advantage of Detroit’s lack of size on the inside when center Mason Plumlee left the game for an extended period early in the fourth quarter. Vucevic scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Fournier, who scored 28 points in Orlando’s victory over Golden State on Friday night, had 16 first-half points. He made 12 of 13 free throws to key Orlando’s 26-of-29 shooting from the line.

Jerami Grant bounced back from his poorest shooting game of the season in Memphis on Friday by scoring 24 points for the Pistons. They dropped to 1-17 on the season when trailing after three quarters.

Last in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have lost three straight and eight of 11.

TIP INS

Pistons: Delon Wright say out because of a Grade 2 groin strain that is expected to sideline him for two weeks. Wright was injured in Friday against Memphis — a game where he had a team-best 16 points. He leads the Pistons in assists (1.4) and steals (1.4). . Dennis Smith Jr. started in place of Wright, but coach Dwane Casey said two-way players Frank Jackson and Saben Lee will get plenty of looks. One stumbling block, Casey said, is the NBA’s limits on how many games two-way players can play before their contracts much be converted. Said Casey: “It’s going to be by committee. With the starting position, it’s going to come down to who maintains it.”

Magic: With Aaron Gordon (ankle sprain) still out, the Magic plan to rotate the starters at the power forward position for the next two weeks. Khem Birch started Friday, while Al-Farouq Aminu moved into that slot Sunday despite the minutes’ restriction he is still under following two knee surgeries.

HEROES HONORED

The Magic honored 500 frontline workers from AdventHealth and the Orlando community on Sunday as part of their “Healthcare Heroes Night.”