Orlando, Fla. ? Tracy McGrady’s back was in pain but watching from the bench hurt the NBA’s leading scorer even more.

Shaking off a lower back bruise that sidelined him for the better part of a week, McGrady scored 46 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 104-99 victory against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

“It’s frustrating sitting out. I hate sitting out,” said McGrady, who came one point short of his season high and four shy of his career best. “I wasn’t 100 percent, but I felt good enough to go out there and play.”

McGrady was elbowed in the lower back by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on Dec. 15. Since then, he had played just 17 minutes in a win at Utah a week ago. Even as late as Christmas Eve, his status against Detroit was questionable. But McGrady made 14 of 26 shots and 18 of 21 free throws, despite pain making him wince and once forcing him to lay down on the floor during a timeout.

“Maybe this rest is a blessing in disguise,” Orlando coach Doc Rivers said. “He got a chance to gather himself and maybe he can go and stay healthy through the All-Star break. That would be perfect.”

Mike Miller scored 15 points for Orlando, which won for the third time in four games. Grant Hill shot 3-for-17, but had 10 points and 15 rebounds for his fifth double-double.

“I kind of knew (McGrady) was going to play and play good,” said Hill, who tied his rebounding season high. “When the bright lights are on, national television, he definitely brings his A game.”

Darrell Armstrong added eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and a season-best five steals.

Orlando's Tracy McGrady drives past Detroit's Clifford Robinson. McGrady scored 46 points Wednesday in the Magic's 104-99 victory at Orlando, Fla.

Detroit, which lost its second straight after a six-game winning streak, got 22 points from Richard Hamilton. Corliss Williamson came off the bench to score 17 but missed big three shots down the stretch, while Chauncey Billups had 10 points and a season-high 13 assists.

Williamson’s misses, which came after the Pistons isolated him in the low post against Pat Garrity, did more than keep Detroit from tying the game.

“The good thing was, we made them use up a lot of clock,” said Garrity, who scored 10 points.

The Pistons were outrebounded 49-35, and Ben Wallace was held to nine — more than six below his league-leading average.

“They had 18 offensive rebounds, which led to a lot more possessions for them and, obviously, the number of free throws,” Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said.

Led by McGrady’s career bests in foul shots made and attempted, Orlando shot 35 free throws to Detroit’s 14. The Pistons were whistled for 27 fouls, 11 more than the Magic.

McGrady scored 12 points in the final quarter, shooting 10-for-12 from the foul line.

Nets 117, Celtics 81

East Rutherford, N.J. — Richard Jefferson scored 22 points to lead New Jersey in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

The Nets, the NBA’s top home team, won their 11th straight in New Jersey and fourth in a row overall. They had lost four straight to the Celtics in the regular season.

New Jersey, which shot a season high 55 percent from the floor, improved to 16-1 at home and increased its Atlantic Division lead over the Celtics and Philadelphia to 1 1/2 games.

Lucious Harris scored 17 points, and Jason Kidd added 16 points and 11 assists. Kenyon Martin had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Rodney Rogers had 13 points, and Jason Collins added 10 for the Nets.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Antoine Walker had 21 for the Celtics, but no other Boston player reached double figures.

Kings 105, Lakers 99

Los Angeles — Peja Stojakovic equaled a season high with 26 points, and Chris Webber had 25 points, 15 rebounds and six assists as Sacramento beat slumping NBA champion Los Angeles.

Mike Bibby added 14 points, and Bobby Jackson had 11 for the Kings (23-8), who won for the 11th time in 14 games.

The Lakers (11-19), who wore rare white uniforms, have lost four of five and are 8-10 with Shaquille O’Neal in the lineup. O’Neal had 27 points and a season-high 17 rebounds and five assists, but shot just 8-of-19.

Kobe Bryant also had 27 points for the Lakers along with 15 rebounds and six assists, but he made only 7 of 24 shots — 2-for-12 in the second half.

The Lakers outrebounded the Kings 61-42, but shot 36.7 percent to 46.3 percent for the Kings.