By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com

Pistons 118, Magic 102 – Andre Drummond’s 30-point performance propelled the Pistons over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

LSJ Logo incertDrummond grabbed 14 rebounds with his 30 points for another double-double for Detroit, while Tobias Harris added 18 points and Reggie Jackson chipped in with 16 points and nine assists.

The Pistons jumped out to a 32-21 lead after the first quarter, led 66-57 at halftime and had a 96-87 advantage after three quarters.Eye on the D

Detroit held on to its lead after a 22-15 fourth quarter run to close the contest.

The Magic were led by Elfrid Payton with 20 points off the bench while Aaron Gordon added 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pistons are now 38-34 on the season, good for an eighth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. They are one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls for the last playoff spot with 10 games remaining.

Detroit will continue its home stand against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Record: 38-34

4th Place in Central Division (13.5 games behind Cleveland)

8th Place in Eastern Conference (13.5 games behind Cleveland)

1 game ahead of Chicago for the last playoff spot

Magic # to clinch a playoff berth: 11

Misery # towards elimination from playoff contention: 13

Eliminated from Central Division and Eastern Conference title contention.

Next Game: 03/25/2016 vs. Charlotte Hornets 7:30 p.m. @ Palace of Auburn Hills

Stats: Andre Drummond 30 points 14 rebounds, Tobias Harris 18 points, Reggie Jackson 16 points 9 assists, Marcus Morris 15 points, Aron Baynes/Stanley Johnson 13 points.