Sports / Basketball |
Pistons win to split series with Bobcats(AP)Updated: 2007-01-25 11:28 CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Rasheed Wallace added 11 of his 20 in the fourth quarter to help the Detroit Pistons salvage a season series split with Charlotte with a 103-92 win over the Bobcats on Wednesday night. Chris Webber added 19 points for the Pistons, who shot 52 percent in winning their third straight game. It wasn't easy for Detroit, which has struggled against Charlotte all season. The Bobcats had won the last two meetings, including a 103-96 win in Detroit two weeks ago. With their lead cut to 84-82 on Derek Anderson's layup with just over 5 minutes left, Chauncey Billups hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to start an 8-2 run. Tayshaun Prince's 3 with 3:24 left gave the Pistons a 92-84 lead. Wallace's two free throws with 1:19 left gave Detroit its first double-digit lead as the Pistons earned a 2-2 series split. Gerald Wallace had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Emeka Okafor added 17 points and 16 rebounds for Charlotte, which stayed in the game despite being undermanned. The Bobcats were missing five players to injury, four of them big men, yet still outrebounded Detroit 42-31. Primoz Brezec (back), Othella Harrington (knee), Jake Voskuhl (illness) and Melvin Ely (illness) joined point guard Brevin Knight (abdominal surgery) in street clothes. Forward Sean May, who had missed the past four games with a sore right knee, returned and had 14 points and six rebounds as the Bobcats couldn't overcome 18 turnovers as they lost their second straight game. The Bobcats took advantage of Detroit's listless start to take a 23-16 lead. Charlotte grabbed 14 of the game's first 17 rebounds and had 13 second-chance points in the first quarter. Detroit rallied to take a 45-44 halftime lead behind Webber, playing his fourth game with the Pistons. Webber scored Detroit's final seven points of the half. Webber's reverse layup in the closing seconds of the third quarter put Detroit ahead 71-65. His 19 points were his most since joing the Pistons, eclipsing the 16 he scored at Minnesota last week. |
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