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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- For a change, the Detroit Pistons were the ones
carrying Jerry Stackhouse.
|  | | Detroit's Michael Curry splits Cleveland defenders Cedric Henderson and Clarence Weatherspoon. |
Joe Smith scored 22 points, including a dunk to finish Cleveland
off with 38 seconds left in overtime, and the Pistons overcame a
brutal shooting night by Stackhouse to hand the Cavaliers their
fifth straight loss, 88-81 Saturday night.
Dana Barros finished with 17 points and made huge plays late in
regulation and overtime for the Pistons, who outscored Cleveland
9-2 in OT and won for just the sixth time in 22 games despite
Stackhouse missing 27 shots.
"This is what I've been talking about all season," said
Stackhouse, the NBA's second-leading scorer. "I can have a bad
game and we still find a way to win. I never had a shooting night
like that before. I'm glad to get that one out of the way."
Stackhouse had 21 points -- 18 in the first half -- but shot just
7-for-34 from the field. Ben Wallace had 14 rebounds, five blocks
and made a nice pass in the lane to Smith for a dunk that put the
Pistons ahead 86-81.
Barros made a jumper, a layup, two free throws and a steal from
Andre Miller in the final 1:12 of the fourth quarter. In overtime,
his 17-foot jumper put the Pistons up 84-81.
Smith and Jerome Williams had 13 rebounds apiece for Detroit.
Stackhouse has been the Pistons' leading scorer in all but six games this season. But he never found his range and went
3-of-19 from the field in the second half.
"We have to step it up and not depend on Stack so much,"
Barros said.
Andre Miller, who lost part of a front tooth in the first
quarter, had 14 points and rookie Chris Mihm had 14 and 12 rebounds
for the Cavs, who can't seem to catch a break.
Already missing Lamond Murray, their second-leading scorer who
has a sore left ankle, the Cavs lost Miller for more than seven
minutes in the first half when he chipped a tooth while diving on
the floor. In addition, top sub Chris Gatling rolled his left ankle
in the first quarter and didn't return.
Gatling wouldn't talk to reporters as he left the arena on
crutches. He is expected to travel with the team to Boston and will
likely be a game-time decision.
Miller is staying behind to have his tooth bonded and to be
fitted with a special mouthpiece before joining the Cavs in Boston.
"I thought it was better," said Cleveland coach Randy Wittman,
whose team played with more intensity. "Our guys came out and
fought. ... Barros hit a couple of big buckets. We just couldn't
get anything going offensively that we could really sink our teeth
into."
Miller's leaner from the baseline with 4.6 seconds remaining in
regulation tied it 79-79, and the game went to overtime when
Stackhouse, whose only point in the fourth quarter came on a free
throw with 15 seconds left, shot an airball.
Smith made one free throw to give the Pistons a lead and Wallace
dunked yet another miss by Stackhouse as the 24-second clock
expired, giving the Pistons an 82-80 lead.
After hitting his jumper, Barros drove the lane and passed
underneath to Wallace, who shuffled it across to Smith for the
dunk.
"He'll make big shots and big plays," Pistons coach George
Irvine said of Barros. "I saw it too many times from the other
side not to have faith in him when I got to coach him."
With Smith and Stackhouse each hitting two jumpers apiece, the
Pistons opened a 56-44 lead four minutes into the third quarter
before they went cold from the field and the Cavs rallied behind
Miller and Mihm.
Miller, who has been encouraged to take over when he can, drove
the lane for two layups and Mihm made two free throws as the Cavs
went on a 14-2 run to tie it 58-all.
The Pistons scored just 12 points in the period on 6-of-23
shooting.
Game notes
Stackhouse is a combined 16-for-64 in two games in
Cleveland this season. ... Stackhouse's 1,082 field-goal attempts
are more than double any teammate. ... Detroit's 12 points were a
season-low for the third quarter. ... One of the Cavs ballboys
found part of Miller's tooth as the teams returned to the floor for
the second quarter. ... Cavs G Trajan Langdon made his second
career start. He scored a career-high 31 the last time the Pistons
were in town. ... Murray looked good in warmups but sat out his
third straight game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Minnesota 108
Toronto 105
Denver 105
Washington 100
Detroit 88
Cleveland 81
Orlando 96
Atlanta 84
Dallas 101
Golden State 95
Milwaukee 104
Indiana 85
San Antonio 90
Houston 88
Utah 111
Seattle 91
Vancouver 91
Chicago 84
LA Clippers 90
Portland 89
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Jerry Stackhouse Official Site
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