The AP reports: Flip Saunders only cares about one more thing in the regular season. He wants his Detroit Pistons to get through Wednesday’s game in Cleveland without an injury… Tuesday, Detroit got 55 points from the reserves, including 20 from Jarvis Hayes and nine each from three others. “We’re having a good time out there right now,” said Richard Hamilton, who led the starters with 18… Billups added 17 points and six assists against his former team, while Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 30 points.
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Apr. 13: Pistons 91, Raptors 84
The AP reports: Detroit finished the game with its “Zoo Squad”—Jarvis Hayes, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and rookies Arron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey. The group averages just 22.8 years of age, but the youngsters have proven their worth in back-to-back wins over Washington and Toronto… Stuckey led the Pistons with 18 points, while Maxiell and Billups added 14 each. Chris Bosh had his 30 and Rasho Nesterovic added 18, but T.J. Ford (10) was the only other player to reach double figures… Detroit used all 12 players before halftime, but still took a 50-45 advantage into the break. The Pistons outrebounded Toronto 23-13 in the half, including a 7-2 edge on the offensive glass.
Apr. 11: Pistons 102, Wizards 74
The AP reports: With Cleveland and Philadelphia having already lost and facing a Detroit team that is coasting toward the playoffs, the Wizards came out with one of their worst performances of the season, shooting just 27 percent in a lopsided 102-74 loss to the Pistons on Friday night… Detroit, which has clinched the Eastern Conference’s second seed, had played poorly in back-to-back losses to New York and Philadelphia, but Jason Maxiell’s career-high 28 points helped them regain their focus… Antwan Jamison led Washington with 15 and DeShawn Stevenson added 11.
Apr. 9: Sixers 101, Pistons 94
The AP reports: Having locked up the No. 2 seed in the East, the Pistons once again gave their reserves significant minutes. On the other hand, the game was a meaningful one for the Sixers, who remained in the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, a game ahead of Toronto and a game behind Washington, who both won Wednesday night… Andre Iguodala scored 25 points, hitting a season-high four 3-pointers, and Samuel Dalembert added 20 points and 13 rebounds for Philadelphia. Willie Green scored 15 and Lou Williams had 12 points and 7 assists off the bench… Chauncey Billups had 18 points to lead Detroit, which already has locked up the No. 2 seed in the East and again gave its reserves significant playing time. Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace all played fewer than 30 minutes and scored in single digits. Richard Hamilton (hip) missed his fifth straight game.
Apr. 8: Knicks 98, Pistons 94
The AP reports: Wilson Chandler scored all of his 19 points in the first half, helping the Knicks built a huge lead, and New York held off a late charge from the Detroit Pistons in a 98-94 win Tuesday night… Against an uninspired team, the Knicks led 57-34 at halftime and 79-60 after three quarters… Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince each scored 11 points for the Pistons, who had won five straight… Jamal Crawford scored 16 for New York, which has won two straight after losing 10 of 11 games.
Apr. 6: Pistons 91, Heat 75
The AP reports: The Detroit Pistons locked up the No. 2 seed. The Miami Heat moved closer to locking up 250 chances at the No. 1 pick. Rodney Stuckey scored 19 points, Tayshaun Prince added 14 on 6-for-7 shooting and the Pistons secured the second spot on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket with a 91-75 win Sunday over the Heat. Jarvis Hayes, Jason Maxiell, Juan Dixon and Arron Afflalo each scored 10 points for the Pistons (55-21), who won their fifth straight… Earl Barron scored 20 points for Miami, which lost its seventh straight… Chris Quinn finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Heat, which got 11 points and nine rebounds from Ricky Davis and 10 points from Mark Blount.
Apr. 4: Pistons 106, Nets 87
The AP reports: A game after winning while resting three starters, the Pistons didn’t need much from the top five in an easy 106-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Friday night. Richard Hamilton sat out with a sore hip and had plenty of company on the Detroit bench. Antonio McDyess only played 25 minutes, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace played 24 apiece, and Chauncey Billups was only on the floor for 22… Detroit got 45 points from its reserves, led by 14 from rookie Rodney Stuckey… The other positive for the Pistons was Antonio McDyess’s game-high 19 points… New Jersey, which was missing Vince Carter (ankle), trails Atlanta by four games with six games left in the race for the East’s last playoff spot.
Apr. 1: Pistons 94, Wolves 90
The AP reports: As Chauncey Billups has done so many times before in a Detroit uniform, Rodney Stuckey did much of his damage when his team needed him most, scoring 12 of his career-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Pistons to a 94-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night… “I’ve always said he’s one of those guys, the bigger the game, the bigger the situation, the more responsibility he has and he wants,” said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who gave Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton the night off to rest up for the playoffs. .. Al Jefferson had 26 points and seven rebounds, but only managed 12 shots while being hounded by double- and triple-teams all night. Foye scored 18 points, but was just 6-for-14 from the field, committed a costly turnover in the closing minutes and rushed an off-balance shot out of a timeout with 45 seconds to go to seal the loss.
Mar. 29: Pistons 85, Cavs 71
The AP reports: Richard Hamilton returned to Detroit’s lineup and scored 14 points, leading the Pistons to an 85-71 win over the injury-riddled Cavs… “You want to get better and it’s tough when you can’t practice much,” said LeBron James, who had a lackluster night with 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting with five assists and five turnovers. Daniel Gibson was healthy enough to play for the first time since Feb. 20, when he sprained his left ankle. He scored only one point in 18 minutes. The Cavs chose to rest guard Delonte West, who has been slowed by left ankle tendinitis… Chauncey Billups and reserve Jason Maxiell each scored 13 while Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess had 12 points apiece for the Pistons, who have won three of four… After missing his first eight shots, Cleveland’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas finished with 11 points. Reserve Devin Brown scored 11 points and Joe Smith, who was acquired last month from Chicago along with Wallace, had 10 points off the bench.
Mar. 27: Pistons 85, Heat 69
The AP reports: Arron Afflalo, starting in place of the injured Richard Hamilton, had a career-high 15 points as the Pistons clinched the Central Division title with a 85-69 victory over the Miami Heat… Miami, which has lost 13 of 15, dressed nine players, including four rookies and two second-year players… Reserve Jason Maxiell had 15 points for Detroit, while Billups added 13 points and 11 assists… Detroit outscored Miami 42-24 in the second half, holding the Heat to 27 percent shooting.