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Balanced Pistons down Bobcats

Apr 11, 2011 - 5:30 AM Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Rodney Stuckey led a balanced attack with 24 points and 11 assists as the Detroit Pistons downed the Charlotte Bobcats, 112-101, in a contest between non-playoff teams.

Charlie Villanueva chipped in 20 points for the Pistons, who had six players reach double-digit scoring in their third consecutive win. Chris Wilcox added 14 points and seven rebounds in the victory, which snapped an 11-game road losing streak.

Boris Diaw had 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Bobcats, who have lost six straight. Gerald Henderson posted a team-high 21 points while Kwame Brown poured in 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.

"It just seemed like we lost energy," said Bobcats head coach Paul Silas. "I'm not really sure what happened to tell you the truth. When I subbed my second unit in, we just lost it and we weren't able to recover."

Trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, the Pistons stormed back in the third to capture the lead.

Wilcox stole the ball from Brown and, at the other end, threw down an alley- oop from Stuckey for a 71-70 lead. Detroit's edge grew to eight before the Pistons carried an 84-78 margin into the fourth.

"We looked like a totally different team in the third period," said Detroit head coach John Kuester. "We got a couple of stops in a row, so that helped us."

Charlotte threatened to come back early in the fourth, drawing within three on D.J. White's slam with 9:08 left. But Detroit responded with the next eight points, capped by Stuckey's two free throws, to grab a 96-85 advantage.

The lead never dipped below eight from there as Detroit won for the first time in Charlotte since the 2008-09 season.

After trailing 8-4 early in the first quarter, Charlotte used a 17-2 run to go on top. The Bobcats held a commanding 40-25 lead after the first, when they shot a blistering 77.3 percent from the field.

Villanueva scored 10 points in the second and hit a step-back jumper with 6:52 left in the half to pull Detroit within three, 44-41. But the Pistons couldn't get over the hump as Charlotte pushed the lead to 59-50 at the break.

Game Notes

Charlotte's leading scorer, Stephen Jackson (18.5 ppg), missed his sixth straight game with a strained left hamstring...Detroit made 25-of-40 from the floor in the second half and ended shooting 55.6 percent (45-of-81) for the game...The Bobcats will visit New Jersey and host Atlanta to close out the 2010-11 campaign...Detroit's last road win was at Cleveland on February 9. The club will host the Cavs before visiting Philadelphia in the season finale...The teams split the season series.