1:11 p.m. - 2006-02-24
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Pacers-Pistons

The Detroit Pistons were struggling through a rare off night Thursday.

Fortunately for them, Rasheed Wallace picked up a technical foul.

As has become his trademark, Wallace turned up his game after the technical, scoring 11 of his game-high 28 points in a key fourth-quarter surge to lift the Detroit Pistons to an 88-83 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

``Sheed thrives on controversy,'' Ben Wallace said. ``Everyone knows that.''

With Detroit leading 70-64 early in the fourth, Wallace hit four straight shots - three from 3-point range - in 97 seconds to put the game away.

``That game was ugly by any description,'' said Chauncey Billups. ``But Sheed finally got cooking and carried us home. We'll take it.''

Wallace picked up the technical after he was called for elbowing Indiana rookie Danny Granger.

``How can I throw an elbow at a guy when I'm catching the ball out of the net and throwing it,'' he asked. ``That's bull in my book. It's felonious.''

The win was Detroit's first at home against Indiana since April 4, 2004. Indiana won both meetings at the Palace last year - the first ended early by the infamous brawl and the second delayed by a bomb threat aimed at the Pacers locker room.

``I thought we might have played 10 to 13 minutes of championship basketball tonight,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. ``We won the game, but there are things we need to work on.''

There were no such incidents in this one, in which Ben Wallace added 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks for the Pistons, while Billups had 14 points and nine assists.

``Ben erases a lot of mistakes for us,'' Saunders said. ``He was unbelievable with everything he was doing.''

Stephen Jackson led the Pacers with 15 points and Peja Stojakovic added 14.

``We were right there in the fourth until Rasheed hit that stretch,'' Stojakovic said. ``That was the difference. That put them up 20, and there's not much you can do after that.''

Indiana finished with 22 turnovers and forced only 12.

``That was a big part of the game,'' Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. ``When you turn it over 22 times for 30 points, you aren't going to beat a top team.''

Detroit led 46-41 at the half, thanks to 13 points from Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons led by as many as 13 in the third quarter, but the Pacers pulled within 63-59 late in the period.

The Pistons, though, scored the last four points, all from the free-throw line, to lead by eight going into the fourth.

The teams traded baskets to start the final 12 minutes, and Billups added a free throw when David Harrison received a technical foul after arguing a call.

After Jackson split a pair from the line, Rasheed Wallace hit a jumper and followed it with three straight 3-pointers for an 11-0 run and a 81-64 lead with 7:40 left.

Detroit led by as many as 20 before the Pacers reserves put together a rally in the final minutes that came too late.

4:06 p.m. - 2006-02-22
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Hawks-Pistons

The Atlanta Hawks stayed close, and that played right into the hands of the Detroit Pistons.

Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Chauncey Billups had 19 points and 15 assists to lead Detroit to a 97-87 win over the Hawks on Tuesday night.

All four of Detroit's All-Stars had big games. In addition to Hamilton and Billups, Rasheed Wallace finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds and Ben Wallace had nine points, 17 rebounds, six blocks and five steals. Even Tayshaun Prince, the only Detroit starter to miss the trip to Houston, scored 14.

All of the Pistons' starters played at least 33 minutes and the team got only 10 points from its bench in the game, but the starters were too much for the Hawks.

``We made them play their starters big minutes,'' said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, an assistant on Detroit's 2004 championship team. ``That's what you want, but their starters are as good as anyone in the league.''

The Hawks were trying to join Utah as the only teams with multiple wins over the Pistons this season, but couldn't pick up their sixth win in nine games. Al Harrington led Atlanta with 20 points and Josh Childress added 18.

``You can't afford to make any mistakes against that team,'' Childress said. ``We played solid, but we made a few mistakes. They feed off getting in the first punch, and we didn't stay aggressive.''

Detroit only led by two at the half, but took control in the third quarter. Hamilton scored 12 points in the period, and Billups hit his second buzzer-beating jumper of the game to put Detroit up 74-63.

``It took us a while, but we got it going,'' Billups said. ``It's tough when you haven't played in a week.''

Detroit outrebounded Atlanta 55-53 and led by as many as 19 in the fourth.

``They are always tough ones, when you've been gone for seven days and you come back and are expected to win,'' said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who coached his four players in Sunday's All-Star game. ``I thought we executed when we needed to - in the second half.''

The Pistons got off to a fast start, leading 9-0 and 20-5, but stalled just as quickly. Atlanta went on a 15-1 run that included six points from Marvin Williams, and trailed 23-20 at the end of the first.

The Hawks led for a good portion of the second quarter, but Billups' jumper with 0.1 seconds left gave the Pistons a 45-43 lead at halftime. The Atlanta bench outscored Detroit's reserves 23-5 in the half.

2:24 p.m. - 2006-02-15
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Nets-Pistons

The Detroit Pistons were guaranteed to have the best record entering the All-Star break.

They wanted to make sure they weren't headed there with a losing streak.

Chauncey Billups had 19 points and 10 assists to help Detroit beat New Jersey 85-71 on Tuesday night.

``Usually, these games are tough to play, because you're looking at a week off,'' said Richard Hamilton, who added 18 points on his 28th birthday. ``But our energy was great. We didn't want to lose two in a row, and we wanted to make a statement.''

With their coach and 80 percent of the starting lineup heading to Houston for the All-Star game, the Pistons went into break with a 42-9 record.

``I told the team that it is always a good sign when you get to the break with a single-digit loss count,'' Pistons and Eastern Conference coach Flip Saunders said. ``When we come back next week, we'll be on the downhill of the season, and it will be going 85 miles an hour like the Olympic luge.''

Ben Wallace had 10 points and 13 rebounds and Rasheed Wallace had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

``It was a good win for us, especially coming off a tough loss to Miami,'' Billups said. ``You've got to be proud of what we have done so far, but our work is far, far from over.''

Saunders plans to play all four Pistons as a group at the All-Star game, and is looking forward to the moment.

``That locker room is going to be very Detroit Pistons-oriented, and it will be special when we put all four of them on the floor together,'' he said. ``I expect they will get a very nice ovation, because people appreciate the way we play.''

Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Vince Carter scored 13, despite struggling with a cold. Jason Kidd had all 10 of his points in the first half and matched his season-low with three assists.

``Our offense was not where it should have been, and you have to give them credit,'' Jefferson said. ``They always present a challenge. Tonight, we weren't at the top of our game, and they took advantage of that.''

The Pistons outscored the Nets 26-11 in the third quarter to turn a six-point halftime lead into a rout.

New Jersey had closed within 49-46 early in the third, but the Pistons responded with a 14-0 run to blow the game open. Billups and Rasheed Wallace had five points each in the spurt.

Carter ended the run with a layup, but the Pistons came back with a spectacular dunk by Ben Wallace off an alley-oop from Billups.

``We turned the ball over a lot and we didn't play defense,'' Kidd said. ``That's what opened up the game.''

Billups finished the period with a three-point play to give the Pistons a 71-50 lead.

``We put ourselves in a bad way in the third quarter,'' Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. ``On the road against a good team, that's one heck of a hole to dig yourself out of.''

The Pistons built a 45-39 at the half, as Hamilton and Billups combined for 23 points. Jefferson had 10 for the Nets, who outshot Detroit 43 percent to 39 percent in the first half.

10:29 a.m. - 2006-02-06
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Pistons-Pacers
Pacers 93, Pistons 85
By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Just by playing, Stephen Jackson showed the Pacers the toughness they needed to beat Detroit.

Jackson shook off a recent injury that sent him to the hospital to score 20 points and grab seven rebounds, and Indiana upset the rival Pistons 93-85 Saturday night.

The Pacers won their second in a row after a six-game losing streak.

Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 31 points, shooting 14-for-24, and Rasheed Wallace added 17 points.

Jackson was hospitalized with a bruised hip and scraped elbow after a scary fall in Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. A further examination showed no fractures and he was released from the hospital early Thursday. He was questionable for Saturday's game but started and played 39 minutes.

``I told myself that as long as I'm able to run a little bit and I'm feeling better than I did in practice I was going to play,'' he said. ``I wanted to play. That was my mind-set. If I could walk, I could play.''

Jackson surprised Indiana coach Rick Carlisle.

``I wasn't convinced that there was any way Steve Jackson could play tonight after the fall he took on Wednesday,'' Carlisle said. ``I went and saw him at the hospital after the game and he was in a lot of pain.''

Reserve center David Harrison scored 15 points and guard Fred Jones scored nine of his 13 in the fourth quarter for the Pacers, who used a 59-44 rebounding advantage to win the first meeting this season between the Central Division rivals. The rebounding edge allowed the Pacers to get away with shooting 39 percent from the field.

``Beating a team like Detroit is good,'' Jackson said. ``It's showing that we're starting to get some identity and showing that we can win tough games and we can play with the best.''

Detroit's NBA-best record dropped to 39-7 with its second loss in the last four games. The Pistons beat Philadelphia on Friday night, but the rested Pacers hadn't played since Wednesday.

``You've got a team that had three days off playing against a team that played four games in five days, in four different cities, and a back-to-back situation,'' Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. ``They played with a great amount of energy and they carried that energy to a win.''

The Pacers improved to 23-22. Detroit center Ben Wallace, who had said Friday that the rivalry had lost some of its luster since the Pacers had been struggling, said the Pistons took the game seriously.

``We don't underestimate nobody,'' he said. ``This was just one of those nights. They were more aggressive than we were. They were making plays and we couldn't make a play.''

Jackson made three 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the first half to help the Pacers take a 51-50 halftime lead.

The Pacers closed the third quarter on an 11-2 run, keyed by seven points from rookie Danny Granger, to take a 74-64 lead into the final period. The Pistons shot 6-for-18 in the third quarter.

The Pistons shut down Indiana forward Peja Stojakovic, who had averaged 21.5 points in his first two games as a Pacer since being acquired for Ron Artest. Detroit's Tayshaun Prince held Stojakovic to eight points on 3-for-14 shooting.

Other Pacers made up for it. Granger had 11 points and nine rebounds, Scot Pollard had 14 rebounds and Jeff Foster had 12 boards.

11:06 a.m. - 2006-01-30
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Celtics-Bucks

Michael Redd went with the only cure he knows for shaky shooting after he made only of his first nine shots Sunday.

``Just keep shooting,'' Redd said. ``That's what I do - keep shooting.''

Redd's shots finally began to fall and he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Redd sat out much of the first quarter with two fouls, and scored only six points in the first three quarters.

``I needed some divine intervention,'' said Redd, whose father is a pastor in Columbus, Ohio.

Redd's layup gave Milwaukee a 76-72 lead with 2:53 remaining in the game, and his 3-pointer with 1:28 left extended the lead to seven.

``We were doing a great job on him defensively and then he hit two shots that, boy, were quick-trigger,'' Boston forward Wally Szczerbiak said. ``You have to be ready for him at all times.''

Szczerbiak, who was traded to the Celtics in a seven-player deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, converted two layups to get the Celtics within three and Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 81-79 with 5.2 seconds left.

But Boston wasn't able to foul the Bucks on the inbounds play, and T.J. Ford got the ball to Charlie Bell for a fast-break dunk at the buzzer.

Redd finished with 21 to lead the Bucks, but coach Terry Stotts said his team's defense made the difference.

``It's easy for people to remember Michael making a three, but the way we competed defensively kept us in the game,'' Stotts said.

The Bucks held Pierce scoreless into the second quarter - he finished with 18 - and both teams shot 40.3 percent from the field.

``Our defense got us over the hump,'' Stotts said. ``It was one of those games. Boston did a nice job defensively and both teams struggled to score. We stayed with our defense and fought through.''

Celtics coach Doc Rivers also said he was pleased with his team's defense, although he would have liked to have seen them keep Redd from getting open shots in the fourth quarter.

Even on an off night, Rivers said, Redd is going to make open shots. ``You knew he would eventually,'' Rivers said.

The Celtics lost momentum when Szczerbiak fouled the Bucks' Dan Gadzuric with 9:02 remaining, and the Celtics' Al Jefferson was called for a technical foul. Redd hit the technical free throw, and Gadzuric hit two foul shots to put the Bucks ahead 65-61.

Szczerbiak finished with 20 for Boston.

``I'm just learning the plays and everything and having fun out there,'' he said. ``We came up short and have lost a lot of close games. I felt great. My teammates and coaches are making things really easy.''

The Celtics acquired Szczerbiak in a seven-player deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Boston sent Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks and Justin Reed to the Timberwolves and acquired Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones in the trade.

10:14 a.m. - 2006-01-30
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Lakers-Pistons

The Detroit Pistons were undaunted by the Los Angeles Lakers when they had two stars.

So, they're certainly confident their team concept will be successful against them now with only Kobe Bryant in purple and gold.

Rasheed Wallace paced five Pistons in double figures with 24 points and Detroit pulled away in the third quarter on its way to a 102-93 victory over the Lakers on Sunday night.

Bryant had 39 points on 12-of-28 shooting, a week after scoring 81 - the second-highest point total in NBA history.

``We feel as though we have five superstars,'' Detroit's Richard Hamilton said. ``If we want one guy to go out there and average 30, we can do that. But we know what we want at the end, a championship, and we know one guy can't guard five guys.''

In the 2004 NBA Finals, the Pistons dominated Los Angeles - with Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - in five games for the title with the same starters they have this season. New coach Flip Saunders has made a good defensive team equally effective on offense.

``They just have more sets now and more options,'' Bryant said. ``They are looser.''

With its season-high 11th straight win, Detroit improved to an NBA-best 37-5 and tied the fourth-best record through 42 games in NBA history.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers started 39-3. The 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers were 38-4, followed by the Pistons, along with the 1996-97 and 1991-92 Bulls.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who led those three Bulls teams, said the Pistons remind him of Chicago's team a decade ago that won a league-record 72 games because they're winning with ease. Jackson said the Pistons could have 70 victories if they don't have injuries.

``We figured no one would break it for another 30 years, just like it took for the Lakers' record to be broken,'' Jackson said. ``So, it is surprising Detroit is pushing for it.''

The Pistons have said - and repeated often - they're not interested in chasing regular-season records.

Detroit is motivated, however, to have the league's best record to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs after losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals at San Antonio last season.

``It won't be fun or breathtaking until the end of the season,'' Wallace said.

The Lakers are still reeling from their decision to deal O'Neal to the Miami Heat two years ago, leaving Bryant with a lackluster supporting cast. Jackson's return after a year away from basketball has not managed to make much of a difference.

Chris Mihm, Bryant's only teammate with more than nine points, had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Bryant, the league's leading scorer, did get loose for a 17-point second quarter against reserve Maurice Evans.

``It didn't matter if (Bryant) had 50, 40, 20, 10 - the idea was for us to win,'' Saunders said. ``The idea was not to try to expose our defense where all the sudden, you have other guys that have career games.''

Los Angeles had won two straight and five of its previous seven games.

Detroit's entire starting lineup scored in double figures: Hamilton (20), Tayshaun Prince (19), Ben Wallace (14) and Chauncey Billups (10). Reserve Antonio McDyess added nine points and 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes.

Three Pistons had at least five assists, two more than any Laker. Ben Wallace grabbed 13 rebounds and Rasheed Wallace blocked three shots.

Detroit turned the game into a rout with an 18-4 run midway through the third quarter, giving them a 78-57 lead. The Lakers made a late surge to cut their deficit to single digits with 1:22, but it was much too late.

Detroit made a lot of wide-open baskets with good ball movement, finding gaps all over the court.

``Some of our players didn't look ready to play,'' Jackson said.

The Pistons have won four straight regular-season games against the Lakers for the first time since the 1973-74 season.

``What rivalry?'' Rasheed Wallace asked. ``It might have been one back in the day with Joe D, Magic, Kareem and those guys.''

2:20 p.m. - 2006-01-02
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The Cavaliers weren't intimidated by the Pistons' impressive record, rich history or Ben Wallace's biceps.

With a Pistons-like defensive performance, Cleveland made Detroit look ordinary in a 97-84 victory Saturday.

``That's a good team that came into our building,'' Cavs guard Larry Hughes said. ``We think we're supposed to win.''

One day after LeBron James turned 21, and against the NBA's top squad, the Cavs may have come of age, too.

James scored 30 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals against the Pistons, who had their winning streak stopped at nine and lost for just the fourth time.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 18 points, Hughes 16 and Drew Gooden 12 with 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who posted their most impressive victory on the final day of '05 and improved to 13-3 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Cleveland has won the last three meetings and four of five at home against the Pistons, the team they're trying to catch in the Central Division and the franchise they aspire to be like someday.

``I told LeBron, 'It's just like when Chicago won the championship. If you want to go deep in the playoffs, then this is the team we have to go through. This is the team we have to beat,''' Donyell Marshall said. ``That's a very big step for us.''

The Pistons came in on pace to win a record 73 regular-season games, but shot a season-low 36 percent (29-of-81) from the floor and dropped to 24-4 - still one of the best starts in league history.

Tayshaun Prince, averaging 15.1 points, had just four on 2-of-12 shooting and Chauncey Billups was only 2-for-11 from the field and had 14.

``We played horribly offensively,'' Prince said. ``We got the shots we wanted but couldn't make anything. We were missing layups - everything.''

Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton had 21 points apiece to lead the Pistons and Ben Wallace added 11 with 18 rebounds.

The Cavaliers, who led by 19 in the first half, pushed it to 20 late in the third quarter and then held off a late push by the Pistons, who got within 92-82 on Carlos Delfino's free throw with 3:41 remaining.

But James, who posted up in the lane more than usual, drilled a 3-pointer with 3:17 left, and after Ilgauskas' basket made it 97-82, Cleveland fans began their New Year's Eve partying a little early.

``That's the best team in the league,'' Gooden said. ``They have a (championship) ring. We see them as the measuring stick.''

James, who has scored at least 30 in 11 of his last 14 games, finished December averaging 32.4 points - the highest one-month average in club history. The Cavaliers have 18 wins after two months for the first time since 1996-97.

``We knew we had to bring our 'A' game,'' said James, ``and that's what we did.''

The Pistons started cold from the floor and remained that way in the first half, shooting just 31 percent in falling behind by 19.

``Nothing would go in,'' said Prince, who made his first shot and then missed 10 of 11. ``Usually after we miss some shots, we heat up a little, but we couldn't get anything going.''

Marshall made consecutive 3s and James completed a three-point play as the Cavaliers opened the second quarter with 11 straight points, forcing the Pistons to play from behind the rest of the way.

``They controlled the tempo,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. ``We played out of character.''

Notes: Cleveland has won seven of eight and went 8-6 in December after a 1-5 start to the month. ... James also averaged 6.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.9 steals in December. ... Saunders is just the second coach in league history to start 24-3 in his first season as coach. Bill Sharman opened the 1971-72 season 39-3 with the Los Angeles Lakers. ... The Cavs hadn't played on New Year's Eve since 1970, their inaugural season in the NBA, when they lost 119-85 at Atlanta and fell to 5-39. ... Cavs coach Mike Brown, who has just two technicals in his first season, tries the tender approach before yelling at officials. ``I usually start with Merry Christmas or Happy New Year, and then say, 'Can you take a look at that last call,''' Brown said. ... Like the Pistons, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, whose 72-10 season is the NBA's best ever, started 23-3 before winning 18 in a row. ... Browns rookie WR Braylon Edwards sat courtside. He's scheduled to undergo knee surgery on Tuesday - doctors had to wait until swelling went down - and will need at least nine months to recover.

4:15 p.m. - 2005-12-19
Bulls-Pistons
Pistons 110, Bulls 82

Rasheed Wallace was prepared for any defense the Chicago Bulls tried.

Wallace scored 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter and led the Detroit Pistons to a 110-82 victory over the Bulls on Friday night.

``I knew they were going to come at me,'' Wallace said. ``I could see the double-teams coming, and I just got the ball to the open man.''

Wallace even had time to take part in the crowd's ``Fire Millen'' chant during a late timeout, referring to Detroit Lions president Matt Millen.

``That was all in good fun,'' said Wallace, who jokingly offered to play quarterback for the Lions earlier in the season. ``I hear there's going to be a big march on Sunday, but we'll be out of town.''

Wallace impressed his coach by scoring his 19 points on just 10 field-goal attempts. He was 6-for-10 from the floor, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, and made all four of his free throws.

``That's efficient,'' Saunders said. ``Sheed has his fun out there, but 19 points on 10 shots is pretty tough to do.''

Detroit improved to 17-3, the best 20-game start in team history, and snapped Chicago's four-game road winning streak. The Pistons are 7-1 at home.

``We're playing every game for Game 7,'' Saunders said. ``This year, we want Game 7 of the Finals to be in this building.''

Wallace added 10 rebounds and Ben Wallace had 13. Richard Hamilton scored 18 points for Detroit, while Chauncey Billups had 15 points and eight assists.

``When we get it going offensively, we are tough to stop,'' Billups said. ``Sheed was great tonight - he made shots, but he didn't force anything.''

Chris Duhon led Chicago with 13 points, but Luol Deng was the only other starter in double figures with 11.

``Everything we needed to do, we didn't get done,'' Chicago coach Scott Skiles said. ``From the minute the ball went up, they just dominated us all over the floor.''

The Pistons used a balanced attack to lead by 13 at the half - scoring 52 points without a player in double figures. Detroit shot 49 percent and outrebounded the Bulls 24-19.

``They showed why they're the best team in the league right now,'' Duhon said. ``We couldn't do anything offensive, we couldn't do anything defensively. We should feel embarrassed.''

The Pistons expanded their advantage to 61-43 in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Rasheed Wallace had seven points in the surge, including a 3-pointer.

He added another 3-pointer later in the period, and Detroit held a commanding 85-58 lead, having outscored Chicago 33-19 in the quarter.

The Pistons led by as many as 32 in the fourth.

Notes: Pistons owner Bill Davidson was honored at a halftime ceremony. His name was added to the new honor ring along the sidelines, and a banner with his name was raised to the rafters. ... Skiles picked up a first-quarter technical for arguing a call. In the fourth, Darko Milicic and Othella Harrington each picked up technicals for a fourth-quarter scuffle, and Harrington was ejected for arguing the decision.

Chicago Bulls - Detroit Pistons Goals Total 1 2 3 OT Shootout
Chicago Bulls 82
Detroit Pistons 110


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1:52 p.m. - 2005-12-14
Pistons-Clippers
Pistons 109, Clippers 101

The Los Angeles Clippers treated Ben Wallace as though he was Shaquille O'Neal.

And the Detroit Pistons center truly appreciated the attention.

Out of desperation, the Clippers fouled Wallace down the stretch, employing the Hack-A-Shaq strategy. He missed 15 of 20 free throws in the fourth quarter. But the Pistons overcame it and beat the Clippers 109-101 Sunday night.

``That's a compliment,'' Wallace said. ``They're just saying they couldn't play with us, that's all. They took themselves out of the flow of the game. Teams do that all the time against me, and they always lose.

``Sometimes you outsmart yourself.''

Chauncey Billups scored 25 points and Richard Hamilton added 23 for the Pistons, who committed only four turnovers and extended their winning streak to six.

Trailing by 14 points, the Clippers narrowed the gap to 92-84 with a 21-footer by Sam Cassell, a running hook shot by Cuttino Mobley and a dunk by Chris Wilcox with six minutes to play. Their game plan the rest of the way was to keep fouling Wallace, who came in shooting 59 percent from the line.

``If a guy's shooting that poorly from the free throw line, you play the odds,'' said Elton Brand, who led the Clippers with 36 points and 10 rebounds.

``He's a poor free throw shooter, and they really weren't making too many mistakes. So we thought, 'Hey, they'll miss some free throws, we'll get the rebounds and we'll go.' We got him to miss the free throws, but unfortunately for us, we didn't get the rebounds. If we had, it would have looked like a great move.''

Wallace missed both attempts with 4:55 remaining, but grabbed the rebound on the second and threw it out to Billups, who drained a 3-pointer to give the Pistons a 97-86 cushion. The Clippers got no closer than nine points after that. Wallace finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

``There were about five minutes left and they were down by eight points,'' Rasheed Wallace said. ``I could see maybe trying something like that if it was a two-point or a three-point game. But why do it when you're eight points down?''

Despite the loss, the Clippers (14-6) have the league's third-best mark and lead the Pacific Division. They entered 9-1 at home, but the absence of starting forward Corey Maggette for the third straight game was too much to overcome.

The Pistons are atop the NBA with a franchise-best 15-2 start. The two-time defending Eastern Conference champions have won four straight on the road and are 10-1 away from home.

Detroit has played 100 consecutive regular-season games and 48 playoff games with the same starting lineup since Rasheed Wallace was acquired from Portland on Feb. 19, 2004.

``That's what makes us one of the elite teams in the NBA,'' Wallace said. ``It gives us an advantage, because you know the ins and the outs of the guys you're out there playing with during certain situations in the game.''

Chris Kaman had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who were trying to sweep a five-game homestand for the first time since 1978-79, when the team was based in San Diego. They had won 14 of 15 home games against Eastern Conference teams, dating to a double-overtime loss against Boston on Dec. 13, 2004.

The Clippers have lost six straight to Detroit and 15 of 19, including a double-overtime defeat the last time the teams met at Staples Center. The Pistons, who came in with the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league, finished with 24 assists and came within one turnover of the NBA record for fewest in a game.

Notes: Pistons assistant coach Ron Harper, who helped the Clippers make the playoffs in 1992 and 1993 as a shooting guard, couldn't be happier that his former team has gotten off to the second-best 20-game start in the franchise's 36-year history. ``This is a great place to play now.'' ... The Clippers' next game is Tuesday night at San Antonio against the defending champion Spurs, who have won the last seven meetings and 27 of the last 30. Since moving to Los Angeles, the Clippers are 9-58 against the previous season's champion. ... The Clippers' only other home loss was to Indiana.

Detroit Pistons - Los Angeles Clippers Goals Total 1 2 3 OT Shootout
Detroit Pistons 109
Los Angeles Clippers 101



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1:56 p.m. - 2005-12-07
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Bobcats-Lakers
Lakers 99, Bobcats 98

Kobe Bryant's legs felt heavy and it showed in his 9-for-30 shooting. But he was nearly perfect at the free throw line.

Bryant scored 29 points and made two foul shots with seven seconds remaining, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-98 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday night in a matchup of early-season also-rans.

``We were sluggish,'' he said. ``Physically, it was tough to get going. My legs felt like they were in cement. I just had to keep pushing, pushing, pushing.''

Bryant made 11 of 12 free throws, including the winning pair after being fouled by Bernard Robinson.

``Bernard did a good job of guarding him, but he's Kobe,'' Brevin Knight said. ``He's going to do whatever he can to score or create enough contact to get a foul. He made a good move and he got the call.''

Melvin Ely scored 20 points, Knight added 17, and Emeka Okafor grabbed 12 rebounds for the Bobcats, who lost their ninth in a row on the road. They remain winless in eight games against Western Conference opponents this season.

``It was our basketball game to win and we lost it,'' Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. ``Our commitment to effort was really good, we defended and it's a handful when you have to chase Kobe all night.''

Chris Mihm added 21 points, and Lamar Odom tied his career high with 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Sasha Vujacic had a career-high 12 points.

``Sasha brings energy,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``Guys were moping around the court. We weren't hustling and playing as hard as we could. There was a hangover from Friday night and the depression of losing.''

Trailing by four with 3:26 remaining, Vujacic beat the shot clock buzzer with a 17-footer for the Lakers before Bryant was blocked by Okafor and missed a 3-pointer on the same possession.

``He has to shoot better than that if he's going to take that many shots,'' Jackson said.

Keith Bogans scored and Knight made two free throws that kept Charlotte ahead 96-90. The Lakers made one final push, with Bryant passing to Brian Cook for a jumper, then Cook hitting a 3-pointer to draw the Lakers within one.

Bogans made a layup for a 98-95 lead, then Bryant missed a 3-pointer.

Bryant got fouled and made both free throws, cutting the Lakers' deficit to one with 17 seconds left. He fouled Knight, who missed both with 11 seconds left.

``It's tough, especially when you've got two free throws to make it a three-point game,'' Knight said. ``It's hard to swallow, but there's not much you can do about it now.''

After a timeout, Bryant drove the basket and got fouled, setting up the winning free throws.

``The science behind that is last year I beat them with one pull-up jumper,'' he said, smiling.

The Bobcats extended their lead to 10 points early in the fourth quarter, with former Lakers player Jumaine Jones making consecutive baskets.

``If you've watched our games, things go bad for us real quick,'' Ely said. ``We'd be more comfortable if it was 20 or 25. But we went out there trying to play hard, and our coaches make sure to remind us that any lead can disappear, just like the one we had.''

The Lakers forged a tie at 86 with a 14-5 spurt, including two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws by Vujacic and back-to-back jumpers by Bryant.

Then Ely scored inside over Mihm, Knight hit a running jumper, and Ely slammed down an alley-oop pass from Okafor to put the Bobcats back in front 92-88 with 4:10 remaining.

``This is one we were finally able to win, but I'm not pleased with the way we played,'' Jackson said. ``We had a difficult time guarding Ely in the post and gave up second shots and opportunities they took advantage of.'' The Lakers opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run engineered mostly by Bryant, Odom and Mihm that resulted in a 57-50 lead. But the Bobcats answered with eight straight points and went up by one. From there, the teams traded baskets, with neither leading by more than four points, before the Bobcats ended the quarter up 73-69.

Notes: Shaquille O'Neal, in town for Miami's game against the Clippers on Monday night, got a standing ovation when he took his courtside seat late in the second quarter. He left at halftime. ``I didn't see him, but I heard the noise and wondered what was going on,'' Jackson said. ``It was great he came by.'' ... Bryant admitted he saw O'Neal, but said the big man's presence had ``zero'' effect on the Lakers. ... It was Jackson's first regular-season game against the Bobcats, swept 2-0 by the Lakers last season. ... Lakers reserve F Brian Cook scored 11 points on his 25th birthday. ... Bobcats G Kareem Rush didn't play against his old team because of a sprained left index finger.

Charlotte Bobcats - Los Angeles Lakers Goals Total 1 2 3 OT Shootout
Charlotte Bobcats 98
Los Angeles Lakers 99



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