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Wednesday, Mar. 15 7:30pm ET
Stackhouse, Laettner power Detroit | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Everyone in Detroit has been talking about the Pistons and the Lakers on Friday night. The Pistons, though, knew the important game of the week was Wednesday against Orlando. Detroit had lost 10 of 12 to the Magic, and another loss would let the Magic catch them for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. That didn't happen, as Jerry Stackhouse scored 32 points and Christian Laettner added 22 and a season-high 17 rebounds in Detroit's 113-91 win. "We knew this one was pretty much a must-win if we wanted to stay ahead of Orlando," Stackhouse said. "It was going to be a war, and we were ready. They've beaten us in the past with intensity, but we matched them tonight." The Magic agreed entirely about the game's importance. "This is a big game for us to lose and a big one for them to win," said Orlando coach Doc Rivers. "We are a young team, and we are still learning what this time of the year is like." Stackhouse is averaging 31.4 points in Detroit's last five games, helping the Pistons to a 4-1 record since George Irvine replaced Alvin Gentry as coach. Grant Hill added 24 for Detroit. "I think George has helped us a lot," Laettner said. "We are a lot more confident, and we believe in each other. There's less negativity around. That feels good and makes you play better." John Amaechi led the Magic with 27, hitting a career-best 13 free throws in 18 attempts. "We can beat them, but we didn't today because we did a lot of things poorly," he said. "We had way too many turnovers and gave up way too many offensive rebounds." Detroit pulled away in the second quarter to lead 59-51 at the half. Stackhouse had 19 in the half and Amaechi had 22, including 10-of-14 from the free throw line. "Amaechi just killed us in the first half," Irvine said. "We looked like we were playing against Shaq two days early. But Terry Mills did a great job against him in the second half." Stackhouse also had four in a 6-0 run that put Detroit ahead 69-55. The Pistons led by as many as 15 before Chucky Atkins' buzzer-beater pulled the Magic within 81-69 at quarter's end. Orlando got to 83-73 with 9:49 left, but Hill hit a jumper in traffic and then a fast-break dunk. Stackhouse put the game away with a 3-pointer and followed with a layup that made it 95-77 with 4:56 to go. Now the Pistons are finally ready to think about the Lakers. "It's going to be a lot of fun," Hill said. "The Palace should be rocking, and we'll get a lot of energy from the fans. It's going to be a challenge -- the Lakers are a great team, and they haven't lost in what seems like forever." Game notesGrant Hill became the eighth player in Pistons history to score 9,000 points, passing the milestone in the second quarter. ... Tipoff was delayed for 10 minutes due to a serious traffic accident outside the Palace. ... Detroit has won two straight against Orlando after dropping 10 of the previous 11. ... Orlando's starting forwards, Ben Wallace and Bo Outlaw, didn't take a single shot in 32 combined first-half minutes. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Orlando Clubhouse Detroit Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 121 Golden State 104
Detroit 113
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