Billups sits, but Hamilton scores 32 to lead Pistons past Magic 90-89 for 3-1 series lead
By TRAVIS REED | Associated Press | May 10, 08 9:00 PM CDT in
Sports
Richard Hamilton scored 32 points and Hedo Turkoglu missed a layup with time running out as the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 90-89 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Tayshaun Prince scored 17 for Detroit, including an 11-foot runner for the go-ahead basket with 8.9 seconds left. Rasheed Wallace had 16 points and eight rebounds. Antonio McDyess had eight points and 14 boards.
Orlando squandered a 15-point lead in the third quarter. After Prince's basket, Turkoglu's layup from the left side of the lane was no good and didn't draw a foul, and Dwight Howard's putback was also off the mark.
The Pistons, the first team to win on the road in the second round, can clinch the series when it returns to Detroit on Tuesday.
The Pistons won despite playing without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, held out after straining his hamstring in Thursday's game.
Turkoglu scored 20 for Orlando and three players added 15 points _ Rashard Lewis, Maurice Evans and Jameer Nelson.
The Pistons held Howard in check all game, forcing several turnovers on Magic passes inside and largely preventing the All-Star from getting the ball near the rim. They double-teamed and banged him around but didn't commit many fouls on the 59 percent free throw shooter. Howard shot only two free throws, making both. He finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.
Detroit climbed out of a 55-44 halftime deficit with a 15-0 run over nearly seven minutes in the third quarter to tie it at 63. McDyess and Hamilton each scored four in the run and Lindsey Hunter, activated because of Billups' injury, hit a 3-pointer. The Magic missed eight straight shots and committed two turnovers in the span.
Pistons rookie Rodney Stuckey made his first playoff start in place of Billups, but Hunter took over the ballhandling duties much of the time with Stuckey in foul trouble. Hunter rarely appeared in the regular season, playing a career-low 24 games and spending 46 on the inactive list in his 15th pro year. He looked rusty early but finished with eight points and three assists.
Billups is third on Detroit's career playoff scoring list and was averaging 15.8 points and 5.7 assists this postseason. In the end, the Pistons didn't need him.
Notes:@ Howard and McDyess were called for a double technical after colliding in the fourth quarter, and Keyon Dooling picked one up in the fourth quarter after getting into it with Hamilton ... McDyess started in place of Jason Maxiell, who took over the job in the Pistons' first-round series against Philadelphia. ... Orlando is winless in the playoffs (0-4) when it fails to score at least 100 points. ... Detroit is 3-2 on the road in the postseason. ... Tiger Woods, who has a home in the area, watched from courtside.
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