Biliups’ 28 Helps Pistons Gain 2-0 Series Lead, Beat Magic 100-93

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA PLAYOFFS

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It wasn’t a call on the floor, but a contested shot that perhaps made a difference in the outcome in Monday night’s game between the Orlando Magic; that aside, Chauncey Billups scored 28 points, leading Detroit to a hard-fought 100-93 win over Orlando at The Palace of Auburn Hills.? One thing that certainly hurt the Magic were the turnovers they committed (they turned the ball over 19 times to Detroit’s 6), not to mention the 15 fast-break points the Pistons scored.

The first quarter was a standoff as the game was tied at 29, but the Pistons outscored the Magic by 10, leading 50-40 at halftime; Orlando made a comeback of sorts as they used 3-pointers as a weapon to get them back into the game, scoring 36 points in the period.? But it was the shot at the end of the period that perhaps turned the tide for Detroit; with 0.5 seconds left on the clock, Billups officially made a trey which seemed to take a fraction of a second longer using replays that the officials did not use during a 5-minute delay.??The allowed shot put Detroit up 78-76 going into the fourth quarter.

Orlando had possession of the ball down by 2 late in the game, but Rashard Lewis missed a scoop shot; Dwight Howard missed a put-back and as a result, Keyon Dooling fouled the Pistons’ Richard Hamilton before the outlet pass was made.? Hamilton made the free throw and Detroit retained possession of the ball.? Billups wold make a pair of free throws, sealing the game for the Pistons.? Detroit’s leading scorer was Billups with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal while Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace scored 17 each – with Prince grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists, along with 2 steals and a block while Wallace grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.

Orlando was led by Howard and Jameer Nelson with 22 points each – with Howard grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking 2 shots while Nelson made 5 three-pointers, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists; Lewis scored 20 with 5 rebounds, 2 assists but turned the ball over 6 times.?Detroit, with the victory, take a 2-0 lead in the second round of this best-of-seven series; they play at Orlando on Wednesday.?

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