RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Ben Wallace might be one of the worst
free throw shooters in the NBA.
On Sunday, he was just good enough.
Wallace shot 3-for-10 from the line in the final four minutes,
foiling the Orlando Magic's intentional-foul strategy, and helping
the Detroit Pistons end a four-game losing streak with a 93-84
victory.
"I'm too mentally strong for that, and the Magic should have
known that," said Wallace, who played for Orlando last season and
entered the game shooting 30.1 percent from the line. "I thought
they had the momentum, and then they started doing that."
Wallace was furious with Doc Rivers' strategy.
"That's the sign of a coward," said Wallace, who finished with
10 points and 22 rebounds. "It's dirty tactics. The fans don't
want to come out here and see that. Just play the game."
Rivers defended his move, saying the Magic were just trying to
win the game.
"We had to try something," Rivers said. "You know how I feel
about him, yet if he can't make free throws, you have to do it.
That's why it is a competition. This is a mean game."
Detroit led by as many as 22 points before hanging on for win.
The victory came just two days after the Pistons blew a seven-point
lead in the final 90 seconds, losing to Miami in overtime.
Jerry Stackhouse led Detroit with 26 points. Corliss Williamson
came off the bench to add 22 points and 16 rebounds.
"It felt great to contribute to a win," said Williamson, who
came to Detroit in a trading-deadline deal with Toronto. "This
team is perfect for me. Their style plays right to my strengths."
Tracy McGrady led Orlando with 25 points and Darrell Armstrong
added 16.
Detroit led by 10 points at the end of the first period, then
forced Orlando to miss 14 of its first 17 shots in the second.
That let the Pistons build a 56-33 lead. Detroit led 57-40 at intermission. The Magic shot just 29.5 percent in the first
half.
Armstrong opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers, and
hit another jumper in a 12-3 run that pulled the Magic within 66-60
late in the period.
But Williamson scored the next six points, and Detroit led 75-64
at the end of the quarter.
Mike Miller's 3-pointer with nine minutes left cut the Detroit
lead to 77-70, and after both teams missed, Monty Williams made it
a three-point game with a pair of fast-break layups.
The Pistons stopped the rally with the help of an
illegal-defense technical foul that nullified a breakaway dunk for
McGrady.
With four minutes left, Orlando started to foul Wallace.
"That was kind of a crummy thing to do especially to someone
who you coached last season," Pistons coach George Irvine said.
"But Ben's too valuable defensively to take out of the game for
something like that. And with Ben's pride, doing that is only going
to make him more likely to make the shots."
Orlando closed within 87-84 with two minutes to play, but
Williamson and Stackhouse hit free throws to put the game away.
"We needed this win," Williamson said. "Especially me. I
still hadn't won a game as a Piston."
Game notes
Orlando's loss snapped a three-game winning streak. ...
Detroit has beaten Orlando three straight times at the Palace, but
has lost 14 of 15 in Orlando.
Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Orlando Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 98 New York 88
Charlotte 116 Boston 97
Detroit 93 Orlando 84
New Jersey 120 Indiana 96
Utah 118 Washington 98
Minnesota 119 Seattle 111
Miami 91 Cleveland 79
LA Lakers 110 Golden State 95
|