DETROIT _ On a night the Detroit Pistons needed it, Andre Drummond was the best player on the Little Caesars Arena floor.
And the Pistons center received help from Wayne Ellington and Blake Griffin.
Drummond was a rim deterrent against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, blocking six shots in the Pistons' 115-98 victory against the Eastern Conference pursuer.
The Pistons center added 18 points, 18 rebounds and a steal in thoroughly outplaying Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.
After a heated verbal exchange with former Piston D.J. Augustin, Ellington nailed five straight 3-pointers in going 7 for 13 from behind the 3-point arc as the Pistons moved up to sixth in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Ellington finished with 25 points.
Blake Griffin scored 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting to help end the Magic's six-game winning streak that propelled them into playoff contention.
The Pistons (38-37) win the season series against the Magic (37-39), three games to one, to earn the playoff tiebreaker advantage. The Pistons, who held the Magic to 39 percent shooting, are now in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after the Nets lost in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Three main Magic offensive weapons _ Vucevic, Even Fournier and Terrence Ross _ combined to shoot 14 for 41.
The Pistons shot 53.5 percent from the field and 17 for 35 from 3-point range.
The Pistons had lost six of nine and snapped a three-game losing streak. It was their 10th straight win at home.
The Pistons were energetic at the start with Drummond the catalyst. On the Magic's opening possession, Drummond stoned an Evan Fournier layup attempt.
A few minutes later, Drummond swatted an Aaron Gordon dunk attempt.
Drummond finished the quarter with four blocked shots to go along with six points, five rebounds and two assists as the Pistons took a 30-27 lead after one quarter.
The Pistons took a 60-46 lead at halftime, but the lead would have been greater if they could have controlled the defensive glass.
The Magic grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the second quarter, but they managed only five second-chance points in the quarter.
