It was harder than expected, but successful: The Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons in the NBA. Against the team with the weakest record, the decision at 112:109 on Sunday night (February 25, 2024) was only made in the final second.
The Magic’s two top stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, appeared less in action than usual. Banchero had 15 points, Wagner finished the game with 14 points. However, it was Banchero who decided the game with a converted two-point throw including a subsequent free throw less than a second before the end of the game. Moritz Wagner had a decent 14 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.
With its 32nd win of the season and 25 losses, Orlando moved level with the Indiana Pacers for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. This would mean direct entry into the playoffs at the end of the season and save Orlando the detour through a qualifying tournament. The Pistons, for whom Cade Cunningham was the top scorer with 26 points, still only have eight wins to their name.
Schröder doesn’t get going in Brooklyn
On the other hand, national team captain Dennis Schröder and the Brooklyn Nets are far from the playoffs. The Nets clearly lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the best team in the West, 86:101. It was the fourth defeat in a row for Brooklyn and Schröder; the 30-year-old has only won one game with his new team since moving to New York just over two weeks ago.
In Minnesota, Schröder once again came off the bench and only contributed a meager nine points in 28 minutes. Of the 14 throws the world champion made, only four landed in the basket. Due to the defeat, the Nets remain at 21 wins this season and remain in eleventh place in the East. The gap to tenth place, which would still be enough for the play-in tournament, is already three wins.
Hartenstein and the Knicks out of form
There was also nothing to gain for the second team from New York City. The New York Knicks around Isaiah Hartenstein lost their home game against league leaders Boston Celtics 102:116. At Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson stood out for the Knicks with 34 points, but couldn’t prevent the defeat. Hartenstein had six points and seven rebounds.
After the fifth defeat in the last six games, New York is in danger of losing its good starting position. The Knicks are still in fourth place in the East, but their lead over the teams behind them is shrinking. The record champions from Boston, on the other hand, lead the league by a wide margin with 45 wins.