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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons aren't sure why
they dominate the New Jersey Nets. They just wish they could do it
against the rest of the NBA.
|  | | Joe Smith of the Pistons denies Keith Van Horn's attempt at a pass. |
The Pistons finished off a 4-0 season sweep of the Nets, winning
105-86 Wednesday night. Detroit is 16-31 against the other 27 teams.
"I don't know what it is -- we just play really well against
them," said Jerry Stackhouse, who scored 30 points. "It's not
like they are a shabby team -- not with guys like Stephon Marbury
and Keith Van Horn. We just have a good matchup or something. We
need to play like this against everyone else."
Marbury, who scored 50 points in Tuesday night's overtime loss
to the Los Angeles Lakers, had just 12 for the Nets.
"I'm not going to use last night as an excuse -- we just didn't
come to play tonight," Marbury said. "I just didn't have it. I
don't know why."
Marbury had trouble all night with the defense of Pistons point guard Chucky Atkins.
"In the second half of the season, the only thing I'm worrying
about is stopping the guy across from me," Atkins said. "If I do
that, the rest of my game will follow. I told the guys that there
was no way he was going for 50 tonight."
New Jersey has lost 13 straight games at the Palace. The Nets'
last win in Detroit came on Feb. 5, 1994.
"Detroit is always running two guys at the board, and that
gives us a lot of trouble," said Nets coach Byron Scott. "When we
get killed on the boards, which Detroit always seems to do to us,
we're probably going to lose."
Stephen Jackson led the Nets with 17, and Aaron Williams had 13.
Joe Smith had 20 and reserve Dana Barros added 15 for Detroit,
which won for just the second time in 12 home games.
"We really needed this one," Stackhouse said. "We have to
start all over, like it is a brand-new season, and start winning at
home."
Detroit used a 13-0 run to take a 27-16 lead after one quarter,
and expanded that to 57-39 at halftime. Stackhouse had 19 points at
the break.
The Pistons shot 7-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first half while
the Nets were 1-for-9 from behind the arc.
"We knew they lost an awfully tough game last night, and then
had to travel," Pistons coach George Irvine said. "So we wanted
to get out to a hard, energetic start, and not give them any life
at all."
The Pistons didn't let up in the third quarter, hitting three more 3s and going up by 24 points.
The Nets pulled within 86-72 early in the fourth period, but were never able to put together an extended run.
Game notes
John Wallace reached double figures by halftime after only
playing three minutes in the Pistons' previous four games. ...
Detroit's Ben Wallace missed his only two foul shots. He has made just two of his last 19 free throws. ... The Nets are 1-12 in the second half of back-to-back games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
RECAPS
Milwaukee 102
Atlanta 98
Detroit 105
New Jersey 86
Orlando 114
LA Clippers 101
Philadelphia 112
LA Lakers 97
Phoenix 104
Minnesota 96
Utah 106
New York 90
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Jerry Stackhouse Official Site
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