AUBURN HILLS, Michigan: The Detroit Pistons clinched a seventh straight playoff berth with a 116-109 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, Chauncey Billups matching a season-high 34 points to lead the home team to victory.

Detroit, which joins Eastern Conference rivals the Boston Celtics as the only teams to secure playoff spots so far this season, will now turn their attention to the battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Central Division crown.

While the Pistons (46-17) are on their way back to the playoffs, the Bulls' postseason bid suffered a further setback with a second straight defeat.

Locked in a tight battle with the Atlanta Hawks and New Jersey Nets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, the Bulls came into Detroit seeking a sweep of their season series with the Pistons having won all three previous meetings.

The Bulls (25-38) sank the opening bucket but it would be the only time they would lead, although they twice battled back to trim the Pistons' advantage to a single point in the final quarter.

"This was a game we looked at and said: 'You know this team they just dominate us and we need to find a way to get a win against this team'," Billups told reporters. "I felt that we did a good job coming out and taking care of business."

Led by 10 points from Billups, the Pistons motored to a 29-19 first-quarter lead and with the help of 10 more from the point guard in the second, took a 54-43 advantage into halftime.

"We had our chances down the stretch to make some plays and almost steal the game but we couldn't get it done," Bulls coach Jim Boylan said.

"We couldn't get the key rebound or make the key shot so they came away with the win."

Richard Hamilton chipped in with 23 points while Tayshaun Prince contributed 21 to the win.

Ben Gordon came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 27 points while Luol Deng added 21 and rookie Joakim Noah had 15, just two shy of his career high.

Shaq's inside game

Shaquille O'Neal contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Phoenix Suns to a 94-87 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Steve Nash added 19 points and 14 assists for the Suns, who handed the Spurs their second consecutive loss after an 11-game winning streak.

"We did a heck of a job on the defensive end and just battled the whole way," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters.

O'Neal was especially effective in the first half, getting 12 points and 11 rebounds before the intermission.

"It's a big body to bother us every time we penetrate," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili told reporters after scoring a team-high 22 points.

"It's not the same having a seven-footer. You have to go after him every time, so he makes a difference especially on the boards."

Tony Parker added 21 points for San Antonio and Tim Duncan chipped in with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spurs led 85-80 with 5:12 to play but Phoenix went on a 14-2 run to seal the win.

Amare Stoudemire sparked the spree with five consecutive points to put the Suns in front. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Philadelphia 76ers cruised to their fourth consecutive win, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 119-97 behind rookie Thaddeus Young's 22 points.

Anthony Parker scored 23 points, Rasho Nesterovic 17 and Andrea Bargnani 16 in the Toronto Raptors' 114-106 home win over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Beno Udrih sank two free throws with four seconds remaining as the Sacramento Kings shocked the Los Angeles Lakers 114-113.

Agencies

(China Daily 03/11/2008 page24)