ORLANDO, Fla. – After a three-game west coast trip, the Orlando Magic have returned home. They’re set to square off with the Detroit Pistons Saturday night for a one-off home game before again hitting the road. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET inside the Kia Center.

The Magic went 2-1 out west, with wins over Phoenix and the LA Lakers sandwiching a loss to the Clippers Wednesday night. Franz Wagner’s game-winner sealed a signature 119-118 win over the Lakers last time out, bringing a Hollywood ending to his 37-point, 11-assist night.

Detroit is no stranger to a thriller either. Their last time out, the Charlotte Hornets took them to overtime and, with the help of Brandon Miller’s 38 and LaMelo Ball’s 35, defeated the Pistons 123-121.

Who: Orlando Magic (10-7) vs. Detroit Pistons (7-10)
What: NBA regular season game
When: Saturday, November 23, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, NBA League Pass
Radio: 104.5 The Beat, Magic Audio Network, SiriusXM
Point Spread: Orlando -10.5
Last Meeting: Orlando 113, Detroit 91 on March 3, 2024

Orlando Magic

Detroit Pistons

Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic: Mosley tipped off his fourth NBA season as a head coach this season, all of which having come with the Magic. He’s 113-150 in the regular season all-time, and 3-4 in the playoffs. Before Mosley was named the head coach of the Magic, he was an assistant with Dallas, Cleveland, and Denver. He’s a Colorado alum, and played four years of professional basketball in Mexico, Australia, Finland and South Korea.

J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons: Bickerstaff is in his first season as the Pistons head coach after being let go by the Cavaliers at the end of the 2023-24 season. He got four full seasons with the Cavaliers and led Cleveland to two consecutive playoff appearances in his final two. He also had part of a fifth season after taking over as interim coach during the 2019-2020 season. Throughout his coaching career, he’s been a head coach in Houston and Memphis, as well as an assistant in Cleveland, Memphis, Houston, Minnesota and Charlotte. He;s won 262 games as a head coach in the NBA.

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The Detroit Tigers were able to have an incredible season in 2024, and arguably the most impressive feat for them was the performance of their ace all season long. 

It was an incredible 2024 campaign for the Tigers, as they snapped a lengthy playoff drought and won the American League Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros. 

In the middle of the summer, it didn’t look like either of those things were going to happen. At the trade deadline, Detroit traded away most of their talented impending free agents as most teams who are out of contention generally do. 

However, the Tigers went on to be one of the best teams in baseball in the second half of the season, and rode that momentum right into the playoffs. 

One of the main reasons for the success down the stretch was the performance of Tarik Skubal. The American League Cy Young award winner was simply phenomenal every time he got the ball to start a game, and he was the clear choice for the award. 

Recently, the southpaw spoke about how the team playing better in the second half of the year helped him win the award. Also, he spoke the unconventional way Detroit went about managing their pitching staff around him.

“That was a blessing. When I was given the ball every fifth day, I think everyone expected to win,” Skubal said to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. “and that’s something I take a ton of pride in. I’m trying to be the same guy and put my team in a position to win every fifth day, and we’ll figure out the other three, four days in between. I think it speaks to what we did. We were able to do those things and probably gave A.J. (Hinch, manager) some long nights, but he was good for it.”

Skubal finished up the season with a 18-4 record, 2.36 ERA, and 228 strikeouts, which led the league. 

From start to finish, it was a great campaign, as in his worst month of the season, he only posted a 3.05 ERA. 

The southpaw is very much a team player and really passes all the credit along to those around him. Now, after a great run into the playoffs, the Tigers will be hoping to do that again and get even further in 2025. 

With their talented lefty leading the way, they know that they will be a favorite to win against pretty much anyone when he is on the mound.