ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Detroit Pistons have given up on the Eastern Conference playoff race. At least, it looked that way Friday night.

The Pistons played lethargically for the second consecutive game, continuing their downward slide in an embarrassing, 115-87 loss to the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.

The Pistons, who were in the No. 7 playoff spot with a .500 record just two weeks ago, lost for the sixth time in the last seven games, leaving coach Stan Van Gundy just shaking his head.

"I don't know. I have no idea," he said when asked to explain what happened Friday night. "You have to ask them (players)."

The Pistons (34-39) have nine games remaining and trail the No. 8 seed Miami Heat by a game-and-a-half, with the Chicago Bulls between them. The Pistons looked Friday like they had no interest in catching anyone.

"This is upsetting, and disappointing," said Pistons forward Tobias Harris, who scored 11 points and was the only starter to reach double-figures. "We have to figure this out. We don't have the energy out there right now. Everyone knows what's at stake. Collectively, we have to look at ourselves."

The Pistons return to action Monday night in New York.

The Magic (27-46), who have struggled throughout the season, had little trouble dominating the hapless Pistons Friday night.

Point guard Elfrid Payton had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- his fourth triple-double of the month.

All Magic starters reached double figures before the third period ended. None played in the fourth. Terrence Ross hit 5 of 6 3-pointers and scored 18 points. Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon each scored 16 points. Evan Fournier had 15 points. Reserve Jodie Meeks added 15 points.

Reserve Jon Leuer led the Pistons with 16 points. Reggie Jackson, who lost his starting role earlier this week, had 11 points as a reserve. Boban Marjanovic, who only played in the fourth quarter, had 15 points.

"To have performances like we've had the last two games, it's gut-check time," said Leuer. "We're in a fight for our (playoff) lives. We know what we need to do, but it's not happening on the court. We have to compete harder."

The Pistons never seriously challenged in the second half. They shot just 35.4 percent from the field (34 of 96) and made only 2 of 22 shots from 3-point range. The Magic established control late in the second quarter and never let Detroit back into the game.

The Magic scored 50 points from inside the lane. They also shot 51.6 percent from the field (47 of 91) and made 12 of 26 3-pointers.

"Our best ball movement game of the year," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "We really had a competitive spirit throughout the game. I thought it was great. This was our best game of the year, our most complete game."

The Magic jumped to a 79-52 lead midway in third quarter, prompting Van Gundy to call a timeout and pull his entire starting lineup. Ross hit a pair of 3-pointers and Payton secured his triple-double during that early second-half stretch.

"I think this game says a lot about us," Payton said. "I think we kind of threw the first punch tonight, and they weren't able to recover."

The Magic hit eight of their last nine shots in the consecutive points -- including a four-point play -- midway in the second period.

Fournier had 13 points and Vucevic 12 at intermission. Payton had eight assists and six rebounds. The Magic outshot the Pistons 51 percent to 30.8 percent in the first half. Orlando scored 32 points from inside the lane.

Van Gundy showed his displeasure early by calling a timeout just 31 seconds after the second quarter began. It didn't help, though, as the Magic did as they pleased.

NOTES: Pistons G Ish Smith remained in the starting lineup Friday for the second consecutive game as coach Stan Van Gundy searched for a way to stop the late-season slide. It didn't work. On Wednesday, Smith replaced Reggie Jackson, who had started 50 games after returning from a knee injury. "It's not a permanent thing," Van Gundy said before the game. "We're just trying to find a way to get more energy at the beginning of games." ... Van Gundy, who coached the Magic for five seasons, received considerable applause during pregame introductions. He said before the game, he thought the Pistons had to win seven or eight of their final 10 games to reach the playoffs. ... Magic F Jeff Green missed his second consecutive game with lower back spasms. F Mario Hezonja moved into Green's spot in the playing rotation. ... The two teams play again in Orlando on the final day (April 12) of the regular season.