RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons did not learn
their lesson.
|  | | Detroit's Jerry Stackhouse wins this rebounding battle with Patrick Ewing. |
Less than 24 hours after blowing a fourth-quarter lead and
losing to Indiana, the Pistons squandered another lead, but hung on to
beat the Seattle SuperSonics 101-92 Sunday night.
"Teams are always going to pick up their defense down the
stretch, and that's when we start standing around and waiting for
Jerry (Stackhouse) to do everything," Pistons coach George Irvine
said. "We did that again tonight, but after they caught up, a
couple guys stepped up and hit some shots."
Stackhouse led Detroit with 38 points, but scored only five in
the fourth.
"We were still doing a lot of standing around," Stackhouse
said. "Once I get going like that, everyone in the building knows
that we'll be running stuff to get me the ball. So that can't be
the only thing we do. We have to keep playing our offense."
Curry and Chucky Atkins added 14 points each for Detroit. Atkins
also dished 11 assists.
Gary Payton led the Sonics with 29. Vin Baker scored 16.
Detroit led 54-43 at the half, and broke the game open with a
13-2 run early in the third. Stackhouse scored nine points in the
run, including a rare four-point play.
Stackhouse finished with 13 in the quarter, helping Detroit
build its lead to 77-64 by the end of the third period.
Seattle scored the first four points of the fourth, cutting its
deficit to single digits.
Reuben Patterson sparked a Sonics rally, scoring seven points in
a 9-2 run, as Seattle closed to 82-79 with 6:39 remaining.
After an Atkins miss, Rashard Lewis hit a 3-pointer to tie the
game.
A Curry jumper gave Detroit an 88-86 lead. On the ensuing
possession, Ben Wallace and Eric Montross blocked consecutive
layups by Payton, and Stackhouse hit a 3-pointer at the other end
as Detroit moved out to a five-point lead.
"For us to win games, we've got to make defensive plays,"
Curry said. "I was able to hit a shot while everyone was looking
at Jerry, and then our inside defense stepped up and blocked those
shots. The way we play, most of our offense is going to come from
our defense."
Baker said that collapsing after a rally is nothing new for
Seattle.
"We've done that before, and I don't know why," Baker said.
"We use up energy to get back into the game, but I really don't
think that's it. It just seems that once we get even, all the
momentum swings back to the other team. It's tough to work that
hard to get back into a game and then lose."
Stackhouse scored 20 in the first half, including 13 in
Detroit's 37-point second quarter.
Game notes
Detroit's next home game will feature Hall-of-Famer
Isiah Thomas' return to the Palace as coach of the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana beat Detroit 94-84 Saturday night in Indianapolis. ...
Seattle also has a reunion in their next game, as Patrick Ewing
will play against the New York Knicks for the first time. ...
Seattle missed its first eight shots of the game.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 101
Seattle 92
Denver 95
LA Clippers 79
Orlando 105
Golden State 99
Sacramento 109
Dallas 84
LA Lakers 105
Houston 99
|
