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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- A short vacation invigorated the
Detroit Pistons.
|  | | Jerry Stackhouse looks to scoot past Larry Robinson of the Hawks. Stackhouse scored 30 points to lead the Pistons. |
The Pistons, looking refreshed after two days off because of a
blizzard, received 30 points from Jerry Stackhouse and beat the Atlanta Hawks 92-69 on Wednesday night.
Detroit won its fourth straight home game, while the Hawks lost for the fourth time in five games.
The game was played in front of possibly the smallest crowd ever
to watch the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Approximately
3,000 fans braved a snowstorm to attend the game.
Stackhouse said the mini-vacation was the key to the win.
"They played last night, and we've had a couple days of rest to play in the snow," he said. "It's tough for young teams like Atlanta to play back-to-back, so we really wanted to jump on them from the start."
"I think the drive here was tougher than the game," said Joe
Smith, who arrived at the Palace 30 minutes before tipoff.
Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said the game should be a learning experience for the Hawks.
"We've got to change that," Kruger said. "Everyone experiences this fatigue during the course of the year, but you've just got to play through it."
Reserve Dana Barros scored 19 points for the Pistons. Lorenzen
Wright led Atlanta with 18, and Jason Terry added 17.
Dikembe Mutombo was in foul trouble most of the game and finished with six rebounds in 19 minutes.
"Obviously, it helps a lot when Dikembe gets in foul trouble
like that," said Smith, who finished with seven points and 11
rebounds. "Even when he's in the game, he can't play with that
same aggressiveness. That takes a lot away from their defense."
Detroit dominated from the opening tip, speeding to a 30-14 lead
after one period. Stackhouse scored 11 points in the first quarter,
while the Hawks shot 5-for-20 in the period.
The Pistons opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run and
increased their lead to 22 points.
"Right from the start, Detroit was quicker to loose balls, quicker to the boards and more active in every way," Kruger said. "We didn't respond, and you can never be encouraged by that."
Atlanta pulled within 16, 45-29, late in the quarter before the
Pistons increased their lead to 21 at the intermission. The Pistons
received scoring from 10 players in the first half.
The Hawks' first run of the game came late in the third quarter
and narrowed their deficit to 65-53. Terry had 12 points in the
first nine minutes of the period.
Detroit countered by scoring seven straight points.
"That was huge. They had made a run to get back into the game,
and we got three straight stops," Pistons coach George Irvine said. "That was the biggest moment of the game, and we did what we
needed to do."
The Pistons led 74-55 after three periods and by as many as 27 down the stretch.
Game notes
Jim Jackson left the game in the first half with a bruised
left knee and did not return. His status is day-to-day. ... Jerome
Williams, on the injured list with a sprained ankle, had X- rays
Wednesday. No breaks were revealed. ... The fans weren't the only
ones having trouble getting to the game. Pistons forward Joe Smith
didn't arrive until 30 minutes before tipoff, and public-address
announcer Ken Calvert didn't make it until midway through the
second quarter. ... Atlanta's 69 points were the fewest by a
Detroit opponent since the Knicks scored 68 on Feb. 28, 1999.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
Stein: Stackhouse getting the best laugh now
RECAPS
Chicago 104
Boston 86
Indiana 97
Dallas 92
Philadelphia 102
Washington 82
Charlotte 101
Sacramento 90
Detroit 92
Atlanta 69
Phoenix 103
San Antonio 93
Milwaukee 111
Utah 102
Seattle 94
Vancouver 93
Miami 94
LA Clippers 88
Portland 96
LA Lakers 86
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Jerry Stackhouse Official Site
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