HollisterFreelance.com | Iverson, Wallace lead Pistons past Warriors

Iverson, Wallace lead Pistons past Warriors

Nov 13, 2008
By Associated Press

OAKLAND

Rasheed Wallace tipped a ball into the wrong basket at one end and missed two free throws at the other.

Just when it seemed like his fourth-quarter mistakes might doom Detroit, Wallace hit back-to-back 3-pointers that gave the Pistons the lead for good and sent them to a 107-102 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

"That really hurt my feelings, that tip," Wallace said. "You can't let that frustrate you. I missed two point-blank foul shots. I'm upset at myself about that. You can't let that one thing get you down. That's what we did, just dug deep and came up with some stops down the stretch."

Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Allen Iverson added 23 as the Pistons won for the second straight time to open their four-game road trip after losing their first two games with Iverson.

But just like in Tuesday night's win in Sacramento, the Pistons started slowly before turning it on defensively in the second half. With a game against the undefeated Los Angeles Lakers coming up Friday night, Detroit is looking for a complete game to extend that winning streak.

"The best part about it is we struggled at times in the game but we got it done," Iverson said. "We're going into the next game with some confidence. We're on a back-to-back so it's important for us to go get our rest and get ready to play. It's going to be a good measuring stick for us."

Golden State trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter but took the lead when Wallace tipped a missed shot by C.J. Watson into the wrong basket. Andris Biedrins was credited with the basket that gave Golden State an 87-86 lead. Wallace then missed two free throws on the other end and the Warriors extended the lead to four points.

But with Detroit down by two, Wallace hit a 3-pointer to give the Pistons the lead for good. After Watson stepped over the sideline for an inbound violation, Wallace hit another from long range to make it 96-92 with just over 3 minutes remaining.

"I know he was upset when he missed those two free throws," Tayshaun Prince said. "Normally if you go back to him he will try to respond. He was able to do that."

Wallace finished with a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Prince grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds.

The mistake by Watson on the inbound was one of the final ones on a blunder-filled night by both teams that featured 33 turnovers and many other miscues.

"First of all, the point guard's not supposed to take the ball out," coach Don Nelson said. "It was an error by a young player. Iverson just faked like he was going to go for a steal and he did a dumb thing. It's not the only one he did but he actually played a pretty good game."

Biedrins had 17 points and 19 rebounds for his 16th straight double-double for the Warriors, who are still seeking their first back-to-back wins of the season. Watson and Stephen Jackson also scored 17 points apiece.

But Golden State made only one 3-pointer for the game and shot just 35 percent in the second half.

"We can't win if I go out and shoot 6-for-20," Jackson said. "It's going to be hard for us to win, point blank."

The Warriors built a 12-point lead early in the third quarter as they got into the lane and the foul line with ease. Detroit committed the first five fouls of the quarter, with Corey Maggette taking 10 free throws in the first 5:03. But a missed dunk by Biedrins that could have made it a 13-point game seemed to spark Detroit.

Iverson scored quickly on the other end and Arron Afflalo hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to six. That started a 17-2 run that gave Detroit a 75-71 lead. Afflalo scored eight points during the spurt, including the final five.

The Warriors committed turnovers on five straight possessions during the run. They didn't make a field goal for the final 5:41 of the third quarter, falling behind 80-73 heading into the fourth. By the time Ronny Turiaf hit a jumper early in the fourth, the Warriors had missed 11 straight shots and gone 6:50 without a basket.

"Obviously that was a typical Detroit team in the second half," Prince said. "In the first half, I don't know what that was. We've done it two games in a row. Obviously we're not on the same page yet."

Notes:

Maggette had 13 points in his first game back after missing four games with a strained left hamstring. ... Pistons G Rodney Stuckey worked out before the game and is expected to play Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Stuckey missed the first two games of the road trip after undergo tests for being lightheaded and dizzy. ... Detroit coach Michael Curry made a lineup change, starting Kwame Brown for the first time this season and bringing Amir Johnson off the bench. Curry said he would stick with this lineup for the time being.

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Story by Josh Dubow, AP Sports Writer

Associated Press
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