Final

Series (Game 2 of 2)

Series starts 11/15

Game 1: Saturday, November 15th
Pistons100Final
Suns91
Game 2: Friday, January 2nd
Suns81Final
Pistons93

Suns 81

(12-21, 3-13 away)

Pistons 93

(20-13, 12-5 home)

8:00 PM ET, January 2, 2004

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI

1 2 3 4 T
PHX 22 26 17 1681
DET 26 25 25 1793

Top Performers

Phoenix: S. Marion 14 Pts, 11 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 Blk

Detroit: R. Hamilton 26 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl

Detroit has yet to allow 100 points in 33 games

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons know why they are on the verge of setting an NBA record for defense.

It's because of Ben Wallace.

Wallace had 22 rebounds and 10 points Friday night as the Pistons beat the Phoenix Suns 93-81. Wallace has double-doubles in Detroit's last three games and in seven of the last 10.

"I can't even believe how well Ben is playing right now," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "I know I'm playing him too many minutes, but whenever I ask him how he feels, he says he's fine."

The Pistons extended their winning streak to four games and have not allowed 100 points in any of their 33 games this season, tying the single-season record set by New York in 2000-01.

"That's a point of pride with us," Chauncey Billups said. "We try to hold teams under 90 points, so we're going to hold most of them under 100."

Richard Hamilton paced the Pistons with 26 points while Chucky Atkins added 14 and Billups had 13.

"We got a lot of good things from a lot of people," Brown said. "This was a hard game for us with matchups, so it is a nice win."

Wallace isn't worried about fatigue despite playing 88 minutes in the last two games.

"I'm equipped for that -- it's my job," he said. "I could play every minute of the games and every minute of practice if they need me."

Wallace's work doesn't go unnoticed by the opposition, either.

"Ben isn't really a center -- he's a center in a small forward's body," Penny Hardaway said. "He can guard any player on the floor and he's so active on the boards. That's what makes him Ben and one of the best players in the league."

Stephon Marbury led Phoenix with 26 points, Hardaway added 20 and Shawn Marion had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

"We just didn't have enough heart to win this game," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We had some chances, but we kicked it away from ourselves."

The Pistons led 51-48 at the half, shooting 56.4 percent. Phoenix shot 37 percent in the half, but stayed close by making 12 of 13 free throws.

Detroit opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take an 11-point lead, and the teams traded baskets for the rest of the period.

That left the Pistons with a 76-65 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Phoenix attempted to rally behind Marbury and Marion, but the Suns could never get the defensive stops they needed for a sustained rally.

The Suns never scored more than four consecutive points in the second half and were unable to get closer than eight.

"We just didn't come out with the necessary energy in the second half to overcome Detroit," D'Antoni said. "For us to win, we're just going to have to pick up the intensity a lot more than what we came with here tonight."

Game notes


Detroit's Corliss Williamson left the game in the second quarter with back spasms and did not return. His status for Saturday's game against Golden State is uncertain. ... Phoenix had won four straight at the Palace. ... Detroit's first-round pick, Darko Milicic, played the final 18.1 seconds and did not score. ... Detroit tied a team record with 19 offensive rebounds in the second half after having only two in the first half.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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Team Stat Comparison

 
PHX
DET
Points 81 93
FGM-FGA 30-76 (.395) 35-90 (.389)
3PM-3PA 4-11 (.364) 5-21 (.238)
FTM-FTA 17-19 (.895) 18-19 (.947)
Rebounds (Offensive-Total) 7-34 21-54
Assists 20 26
Turnovers 14 14
Steals 4 6
Blocks 9 6
Fast Break Points 5 7
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) 19 (1/0) 15 (0/0)

Top Performers

Phoenix
Detroit
Shawn Marion Marion
Points: 14
Reb: 11
Ast: 5
Stl: 3
Blk: 4
Richard Hamilton Hamilton
Points: 26
Reb: 5
Ast: 6
Stl: 2
Blk: 0