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Wednesday, Apr. 19 7:30pm ET
Pistons don't need Hill to handle Bulls | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons will get the first-round matchup they wanted against the Miami Heat. Jerry Stackhouse had 21 points and seven assists and Jud Buechler added a season-high 14 as the Pistons coasted into the playoffs with a season-ending 112-91 rout of the Chicago Bulls. Detroit (42-40), which went 2-2 against Miami and 1-3 against top-seeded Indiana, gets the seventh seed in the East. Chicago (17-65) is headed to the draft lottery for the second year running. The Pistons played without Grant Hill for the third straight game. Hill was placed on the injured list before the game due to a bone bruise in his left ankle. However, he will be eligible to play in the postseason. No Piston played more than 29 minutes, and four reserves reached double figures. Even rookie Jermaine Jackson, who hadn't played since October, got in and scored four points. Chicago was led by Elton Brand with 32 points and 11 rebounds, while Fred Hoiberg added 15. Chicago stayed close for most of the first half, but Detroit got nine points from Stackhouse in the second to lead 57-47 at intermission. Stackhouse hit a jumper at the buzzer, but the officials ruled that it came just late. Brand had 24 points at the half, but his teammates managed just 23. Detroit continued to pull away throughout the third quarter thanks to eight points by reserve center Mikki Moore. The Pistons led 87-73 at period's end, and by as many as 23 in the fourth. Game notesBrand became the first Bull since 1978-79 to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds for a season. Only eight rookies in the last 10 years have averaged a double-double, putting Brand in company with Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. ... The game was the last in B.J. Armstrong's 11-year career. Armstrong, who grew up in Detroit, scored two points in 15 minutes, and received a standing ovation from the crowd in the final minutes. ... The win gave Detroit its fourth winning season in five years. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Chicago Clubhouse Detroit Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 112 New York 85
Detroit 112
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