Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic at the Palace

Pistons forward Greg Monroe (center) acknowledges a 3-pointer by teammate Anthony Tolliver during the second half of Wednesday's 128-118 win over the Orlando.

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

AUBURN HILLS - The Detroit Pistons think their 128-118 victory over the Orlando Magic Wednesday is another sign that they're maturing as a team.

The Pistons jumped in front early and led by 21 points early in the third quarter only to see Orlando gradually chip away at the lead in the second half.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Magic had pulled within two points and were riding a wave of momentum. It's the kind of game the Pistons would have lost in the past since blowing fourth-quarter leads had become something of a trademark the past couple of seasons.

Instead, the Pistons got off the ropes and delivered a knockout punch of their own. They went on a 16-2 run to turn a 102-100 lead into a 118-104 advantage with 2:57 left before cruising to their 12th win in the last 15 games.

The young Pistons are growing up.

"Absolutely," said Andre Drummond, who recorded his 23rd double-double of the season with 26 points and 17 rebounds. "We all are, each and every one of us. We're not really getting down on ourselves when we make bad plays. We're working hard each and every day and we're starting to get rewarded.

"If we don't win, we're losing by one or two points. So we're right here. We do a great job of fighting. There's never a perfect game. Teams find a way to come back and everybody goes on runs. We do a great of fighting and keeping them back.

"We're doing a good job of closing games."

Coach Stan Van Gundy agreed.

Van Gundy wasn't thrilled to see his team allow 70 second-half points after the Pistons built a 65-48 lead on Kyle Singler's 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.

But it was hard for him to be unhappy after watching the Pistons hold off Orlando's high-tempo offense down the stretch.

"It's a learning experience," Van Gundy said. "We have a lot more experience this year playing from behind than playing ahead. Our defense in the second half wasn't good at all but we did a great job I thought after they got the game back to two.

"We gathered ourselves very, very well and played very well down the stretch. I was really happy with that. It's another learning experience. You can let those get away and it goes the other way. To gather ourselves and come back with a double-digit victory, it showed a lot for our team and I thought was a good step forward.

"We've become a team that is starting to close games pretty well."

That was a major problem last year, when the Pistons won 29 games for the second straight season.

The Pistons were tied or held the lead entering the fourth quarter in 40 games last season only to lose 14 of them.

So it was refreshing for Greg Monroe, one of the longest-tenured Pistons with five seasons in Detroit, to see his team regroup and regain control after the Magic pulled within a basket.

"We took a timeout and everybody just gathered themselves, came out and started getting stops, started getting back to how we were playing, got to the free-throw line and that was basically it," said Monroe, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds for his 19th double-double of the season.

"Guys just refocus and get back to the things we were doing when we built the lead. That's just really it."

To be brutally honest, said point guard Brandon Jennings, it was a a game the Pistons likely would have lost last season.

"Last year we probably would have folded," said Jennings, who had 24 points and 21 assists. "I think that's our growth. Everybody is trusting each other and everybody is taking shots. Everybody is confident.

"Just maturing and still learning how to win."

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