AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) – Ben Wallace might be one of the worst free throw shooters in the NBA.

Wallace shot 3-for-10 from the line in the final four minutes, foiling the Orlando Magic's intentional-foul strategy, and helping the Detroit Pistons end a four-game losing streak with a 93-84 victory.

"I'm too mentally strong for that, and the Magic should have known that," said Wallace, who played for Orlando last season and entered the game shooting 30.1 percent from the line. "I thought they had the momentum, and then they started doing that."

Wallace was furious with Doc Rivers' strategy.

"That's the sign of a coward," said Wallace, who finished with 10 points and 22 rebounds. "It's dirty tactics. The fans don't want to come out here and see that. Just play the game."

Rivers defended his move, saying the Magic were just trying to win the game.

"We had to try something," Rivers said. "You know how I feel about him, yet if he can't make free throws, you have to do it. That's why it is a competition. This is a mean game."

Detroit led by as many as 22 points before hanging on for win. The victory came just two days after the Pistons blew a seven-point lead in the final 90 seconds, losing to Miami in overtime.

Jerry Stackhouse led Detroit with 26 points. Corliss Williamson came off the bench to add 22 points and 16 rebounds.

"It felt great to contribute to a win," said Williamson, who came to Detroit in a trading-deadline deal with Toronto. "This team is perfect for me. Their style plays right to my strengths."

Tracy McGrady led Orlando with 25 points and Darrell Armstrong added 16.

Detroit led by 10 points at the end of the first period, then forced Orlando to miss 14 of its first 17 shots in the second.

That let the Pistons build a 56-33 lead. Detroit led 57-40 at intermission. The Magic shot just 29.5 percent in the first half.

Armstrong opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers, and hit another jumper in a 12-3 run that pulled the Magic within 66-60 late in the period.

But Williamson scored the next six points, and Detroit led 75-64 at the end of the quarter.

Mike Miller's 3-pointer with nine minutes left cut the Detroit lead to 77-70, and after both teams missed, Monty Williams made it a three-point game with a pair of fast-break layups.

The Pistons stopped the rally with the help of an illegal-defense technical foul that nullified a breakaway dunk for McGrady.

With four minutes left, Orlando started to foul Wallace.

"That was kind of a crummy thing to do – especially to someone who you coached last season," Pistons coach George Irvine said. "But Ben's too valuable defensively to take out of the game for something like that. And with Ben's pride, doing that is only going to make him more likely to make the shots."

Orlando closed within 87-84 with two minutes to play, but Williamson and Stackhouse hit free throws to put the game away.

"We needed this win," Williamson said. "Especially me. I still hadn't won a game as a Piston."

Game notes
Orlando's loss snapped a three-game winning streak. ... Detroit has beaten Orlando three straight times at the Palace, but has lost 14 of 15 in Orlando.

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