Stuckey Helps Pistons Stick It To Heat 91-75

Posted by Jeff Sack under Main

Rookie guard Rodney Stuckey scored 19 points, the Detroit Pistons shot 50% (35-70) from the floor for the game, and they?held the Miami Heat to 35.3% (25-71) from the field.?Put that all together and you get the makings of a 91-75 shutdown of Miami by Detroit. With the win the Pistons have locked up the?number two seed in the NBA?Eastern Conference Playoffs. Earlier this week Boston locked up the number one seed, and Orlando clinched the number three spot.

Watching any game with the Miami Heat playing in it has?been painful to watch since about December. Put them up against Detroit that plays smothering defense better than anyone else in the Association, is close to torture!? Detroit had the lead at the end of the first quarter by the anemic score of 19-16 (aah just like the bad old days!)? It?did not get much more pleasant to watch in the second half, as the Pistons went into the locker room with a? 39-27 lead.? The two teams came out of their stupor in the third quarter as Detroit took a 68-54 advantage into the final period. Miami never came close to a single digit deficit in the fourth quarter.

Stuckey came off the bench and scored 19 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals.?Tayshaun Prince scored 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist. Detroit attained the unusual feat of having four players score 10 points each. Jason Maxiell scored 10, grabbbed? 7 boards, 3 blocks, 1? assist, ?Arron Afflalo scored 10, 4 rebounds, 1 assist. ?Juan Dixon scored 10, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, Jarvis Hayes, also scored 10 points, 3 rebounds.

Center Earl Baron led all scorers with 20 points, 4 rebounds, Chris Quinn scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal.? Ricky Davis scored 11 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, 1 block, Mark Blount 10 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds. Detroit is now 55-21, the Heat are 13-64.

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