Pistons surprise the Magic in Orlando

For the better part of the past few weeks, life inside the Detroit Pistons locker room has been a tenuous experience at best.

A recent rift between coach John Kuester and guard Rip Hamilton had resulted in Hamilton sitting out for seven straight games entering Monday, and a brand new alignment trudging its way into the second half of the schedule.

But after holding on for a one-point win over Phoenix on Saturday, the Pistons found even more traction with a 103-96 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye each scored 20 points to lead the Pistons’ attack. Detroit scored 26 points off 16 Orlando turnovers and shot 50 percent from 3-point range to earn its first victory of the season over the Magic.

Rodney Stuckey, who replaced Hamilton in the starting lineup, and Ben Gordon each had 16 points. McGrady and Stuckey bounced back after shooting a combined 4 of 20 in the win over the Suns.

Hamilton didn’t play again but it didn’t matter as Detroit earned its second straight victory and snapped Orlando’s three-game winning streak
The Pistons led by as many as 14 before a 10-4 Magic run to open the fourth quarter cut the lead to 79-75 with 8:59 to play. Quentin Richardson had a pair of 3s during the surge.

But Detroit responded with an 11-3 run to push its cushion back to 90-78 at the 6:19 mark. Stuckey also came up with a key play down the stretch, drawing a foul on Jameer Nelson and hitting two free throws to make it 97-90 with 1:24 left.

McGrady had an up-and-down tenure in Orlando from 2000-04, but was known for his occasional ability to score at will. His skills have slowly diminished in the six years since his departure, but the 31-year-old showed flashes of his former self.