ORLANDO, Fla. — Rashard Lewis was due for a breakout game. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Magic.
Lewis, Orlando’s big offseason acquisition, scored a career playoff-high 33 points and the Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 111-86 on Wednesday night to pull to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Pistons lost all-star guard Chauncey Billups to a strained right hamstring early in the first quarter.
The Pistons were hopeful the former George Washington High School and University of Colorado star could play in Game 4 on Saturday in Orlando, but planned to evaluate him again today.
“I’m concerned because (Billups is) our quarterback; he runs our team,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said.
Lewis scored 12 of Orlando’s last 14 points as the Magic took a 54-42 halftime lead.
“I made my first couple and really felt like I was going to have it going tonight,” said Lewis, who came to the Magic in a trade with Seattle.
The Pistons drew within 73-69 at the end of the third quarter but failed to score a field goal in the opening 4:27 of the fourth until Richard Hamilton made a layup.
By then Orlando was ahead 87-73 — helped by Lewis’ 3-pointer and putback — and Detroit would get no closer.
