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Detroit ends skid with win over Toronto

Mar 17, 2011 - 6:55 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Richard Hamilton finished with 24 points, including 4-of-9 from three-point range, as the Pistons topped the Raptors, 107-93, ending a three-game skid.

Tayshuan Prince added 22 points while Greg Monroe posted 21 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit, which had dropped five of six entering Wednesday. Rodney Stuckey dished out a career-high 14 assists as Detroit took 3-of-4 in the season series with Toronto.

Andrea Bargnani paced the Raptors with 20 points. DeMar DeRozan added 16 points while Jose Calderon scored 10 with six assists in the loss, Toronto's fifth in six games

The Raptors also continued a lengthy road skid as they dropped their 14th straight as the visitors and have not won on the road since January 5 at Cleveland.

"You can't dig a hole like we did," Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "You can't afford to get down early to this team, they moved the ball extremely well and picked us apart."

Hamilton made consecutive three-pointers -- surrounding a Bargnani jumper -- to give the Pistons an early 10-4 advantage. A trifecta by Tracy McGrady with 6 1/2 remaining widened the Detroit advantage to 19-10, and the Pistons took a 38-24 lead after one.

Hamilton had 10 points on 3-of-4 from the field in the first quarter.

Detroit widened its lead to 51-31 with another three-pointer, this time from Ben Gordon, but the Raptors then rattled off six-straight points, ending with a pair of Reggie Evans free throws, to keep the game manageable.

The Raptors cut their deficit to as low as nine with a Leandro Barbosa layup in the final seconds, and Prince capped the first half with a running hook shot, giving Detroit a 63-52 lead entering the locker room.

Hamilton added 10 more points in the third quarter as Detroit took an 87-76 lead into the final stanza.

The Raptors cut their deficit down to 89-84 with a Jerryd Bayless three- pointer and Barbosa driving layup three minutes into the fourth quarter. However, the Pistons quickly widened their lead back to 10 with three Stuckey free throws and an Austin Daye layup as their lead remained around 10 down the stretch.

"In the third-quarter we went back and forth with them and weren't getting the stops that we were in the first quarter," Prince said. "Then a lot of guys come off the bench after sitting over there for a while, so it takes them a few minutes to get going. Those first couple minutes are important because if the other team gets going it's hard to stop."

Game Notes

The Pistons, who are now 17-17 at home this season, will complete a two-game residency with a visit from the New York Knicks on Friday...Detroit registered a season-high 33 assists, including a career-high five from Monroe...The Raptors are now 5-27 on the road...Barbosa added 18 points in a reserve role...Amir Johnson missed his third-straight game with an ankle issue for Toronto.