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Wednesday, Feb. 14 7:30pm ET
Stackhouse powers Pistons with 30 points

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons aren't sure why they dominate the New Jersey Nets. They just wish they could do it against the rest of the NBA.

Joe Smith
Joe Smith of the Pistons denies Keith Van Horn's attempt at a pass.

The Pistons finished off a 4-0 season sweep of the Nets, winning 105-86 Wednesday night. Detroit is 16-31 against the other 27 teams.

"I don't know what it is -- we just play really well against them," said Jerry Stackhouse, who scored 30 points. "It's not like they are a shabby team -- not with guys like Stephon Marbury and Keith Van Horn. We just have a good matchup or something. We need to play like this against everyone else."

Marbury, who scored 50 points in Tuesday night's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, had just 12 for the Nets.

"I'm not going to use last night as an excuse -- we just didn't come to play tonight," Marbury said. "I just didn't have it. I don't know why."

Marbury had trouble all night with the defense of Pistons point guard Chucky Atkins.

"In the second half of the season, the only thing I'm worrying about is stopping the guy across from me," Atkins said. "If I do that, the rest of my game will follow. I told the guys that there was no way he was going for 50 tonight."

New Jersey has lost 13 straight games at the Palace. The Nets' last win in Detroit came on Feb. 5, 1994.

"Detroit is always running two guys at the board, and that gives us a lot of trouble," said Nets coach Byron Scott. "When we get killed on the boards, which Detroit always seems to do to us, we're probably going to lose."

Stephen Jackson led the Nets with 17, and Aaron Williams had 13.

Joe Smith had 20 and reserve Dana Barros added 15 for Detroit, which won for just the second time in 12 home games.

"We really needed this one," Stackhouse said. "We have to start all over, like it is a brand-new season, and start winning at home."

Detroit used a 13-0 run to take a 27-16 lead after one quarter, and expanded that to 57-39 at halftime. Stackhouse had 19 points at the break.

The Pistons shot 7-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first half while the Nets were 1-for-9 from behind the arc.

"We knew they lost an awfully tough game last night, and then had to travel," Pistons coach George Irvine said. "So we wanted to get out to a hard, energetic start, and not give them any life at all."

The Pistons didn't let up in the third quarter, hitting three more 3s and going up by 24 points.

The Nets pulled within 86-72 early in the fourth period, but were never able to put together an extended run.

Game notes
John Wallace reached double figures by halftime after only playing three minutes in the Pistons' previous four games. ... Detroit's Ben Wallace missed his only two foul shots. He has made just two of his last 19 free throws. ... The Nets are 1-12 in the second half of back-to-back games.

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RECAPS
Milwaukee 102
Atlanta 98

Detroit 105
New Jersey 86

Orlando 114
LA Clippers 101

Philadelphia 112
LA Lakers 97

Phoenix 104
Minnesota 96

Utah 106
New York 90

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