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  Thursday, Jan. 6 7:30pm ET
Hill's 31 points too much for Bucks
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Grant Hill saved his best for last against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Grant Hill
Dale Ellis and the Bucks couldn't find an answer for Grant Hill, who had 31 points and 7 assists.

Hill scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Detroit Pistons beat Milwaukee 101-95 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to six games.

Hill, coming off consecutive 42-point performances in Orlando and Atlanta, was 13-of-21 from field and had seven assists and five rebounds in 38 minutes.

"If we don't have the best player in the NBA, we certainly have the best non-center," Pistons coach Alvin Gentry said.

"Now that he's added the jumper to his game, there's not a single player in this league who can guard him one-on-one. You've got to run two or three guys at him."

Hill, who didn't make a single 3-pointer in the strike-shortened 1999 season, already has 16 in 1999-2000. Two of those came in the fourth quarter against the Bucks.

"Grant was very good," Bucks coach George Karl said. "We had an opportunity to win the game, but we didn't make the stops that we needed. He was good, and he showed a lot of class."

Hill sat out the final four minutes of the third quarter because of foul trouble, but said that was the key to his strong finish.

"I was a little tired after the game last night, so that gave me a chance to rest my legs a little," he said. "But it also gave me a chance to get my thoughts together.

"When we went to Orlando, I was trying to remember all the shooting tips, and straighten out my mechanics. Obviously, in that game and Atlanta, things went pretty well."

The Bucks played without point guard Sam Cassell, who missed the game because of tendinitis in his right ankle, but nearly had enough to end Detroit's season-best winning streak.

"Sam plays a big role for this team, and he's a big part of what we're trying to accomplish," Bucks guard Dale Ellis said. "We need him to play and it's unfortunate that his ankle is bothering him."

Milwaukee led by as many as nine in the fourth, but couldn't stop Hill.

Christian Laettner added 20 for Detroit, Jerry Stackhouse had 18, and Jerome Williams added 11 points and 17 rebounds.

Robinson led Milwaukee with 31 points, Tim Thomas added 16 and Ray Allen had 15.

Detroit led 50-47 at the half, but Allen immediately tied the it with a three-point play to start the third. That kicked off a 15-4 run, with Allen scoring eight and Robinson adding five.

That put the Bucks up 62-54, but Stackhouse led the Pistons back, scoring six straight to tie it at 64.

With Hill on the bench with his four fouls, the Bucks scored the next eight points, and led 75-68 entering the fourth quarter. Robinson scored 15 points in the third quarter.

Milwaukee led 84-75 with eight minutes left, but Detroit went on a 10-2 surge to pull within one with 4:50 to go. Hill had eight of the points, including back-to-back 3-pointers.

Detroit finally went ahead 92-90 on Williams' two free throws. After Allen made a free throw, Michael Curry's jumper made it a three-point lead with 1:46 left.

Allen and Hill traded baskets before Haywoode Workman hit two free throws with a minute left. Hill and Stackhouse missed, but Workman missed the go-ahead shot and Curry grabbed the rebound.

He hit two free throws, making it 98-95 with 18.6 seconds to go. Workman missed again, and Hill stripped the rebound from Allen.

"If Haywoode maybe had a little more playing time, he might have made those shots," Karl said. "That's all part of the NBA."

Game notes
Workman, who replaced Cassell, hadn't scored more than seven points all season. He surpassed that total midway through the second period and finished with 14. . ... Although the NBA season is still some weeks from the midway point, the division-rival Pistons and Bucks finished their season series Thursday. Detroit won the series 3-1. ... Stackhouse, who was playing with the flu, had 10 points in the third quarter, but also had five turnovers in the period.
 


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