Armstrong, who was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner and scored on a runner in the lane to cap a 7-0 run that gave Orlando an 87-75 cushion with 2:08 remaining.
"It was a real nice defensive game," Armstrong said. "We really got after it all game long. They got a little run on us, but guys stayed in there, kept fighting, getting loose balls, instead of them getting them. Those are the little things that help you win."
Tracy McGrady added 20 points for the Magic before fouling out for the first time this season.
 Jerry Stackhouse's shot was way off, so he tried to help Detroit snap its six-game skid in other ways-- it didn't work. Gary Bassing NBAE/Getty Images |
"I thought our effort defensively was much better tonight," Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said. "I thought we had a lot of good looks in the first half. I really thought that we played the right way."
Down 42-30 at intermission, Detroit made several runs in the second half, cutting an 18-point deficit to four early in the final period. But the Pistons could not overcome a miserable start.
Orlando used a 27-5 burst that bridged the first two quarters and opened a 33-15 lead midway through the second.
"The defense all night was terrific," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said. "Teamwork and sharing the ball, that's how we have to win right now."
Ben Wallace scored 16 points for Detroit, which got 13 apiece from Jerry Stackhouse and Chucky Atkins.
Mike Miller contributed 14 points for the Magic and held Stackhouse to 3-of-15 shooting from the field.
"He guarded the heck out of Jerry Stackhouse, and that's not easy to do to a shooter," Rivers said.
Miller struggled from the field early but made up for it on the defensive end.
"That's what we expect out of him," McGrady said. "His shots aren't falling, (so) do something else, play defense. He did a good job."
It marked the second straight game that Stackhouse -- the Pistons' leading scorer -- struggled from the field. He was 7-of-20 in Thursday's 88-75 setback to New Jersey.
"I feel I am not the guy who is stepping up to deliver for this team," Stackhouse said. "I felt like 11 out of 12 guys played well enough to win the game tonight."
Wallace scored 11 points in the third quarter, helping the Pistons trim a 16-point deficit to 62-57 entering the final period.
Detroit closed within 64-60 on Dana Barros' 3-pointer with 11:09 left in the contest, but Orlando responded with six straight points, taking a 70-60 lead on Horace Grant's three-point play with 9 1/2 minutes to go.
The Pistons made it 70-65 on two free throws by rookie Zeljko Rebraca, but Miller and Armstrong hit consecutive 3-pointers for an 11-point cushion.
"They have lost six in a row and it's not like that is a confident group over there, either, so it was going to come down to who wanted to drag it out down the stretch," Rivers said. "Our guys did."
Pat Garrity's 3-pointer brought Detroit within 80-75 with 4:25 left, but McGrady tipped in his own miss with 3:19 to go to start the decisive 7-0 spurt.