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Pistons rout Sixers, tie series at 1-1

Apr 24, 2008 - 3:56 AM AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons' second effort was much better.

Richard Hamilton scored 20 points as the Pistons bounced back with a convincing 105-88 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday night.

Antonio McDyess collected 16 points and 12 rebounds and Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince also scored 16 as the Pistons tied the series 1-1 heading to Philadelphia for Game Three on Friday.

"We were focused," Pistons guard Chauncey Billups said. "We had a good night. We were really locked in with the things we had to do, that we emphasized the last couple days. We never let up. Everybody, you look at the stat sheet, all the starters played so good, shot the ball so well. Young guys came in and played great. I thought we were just locked in."

"This is not a secret," 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "This is how they play. Chauncey, Rip, Rasheed, Tayshaun, those guys, that's one of the blessings that (coach Flip Saunders) has on their team. They have different guys that can deliver."

With the possibility of falling behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, Detroit took control from the tip with Wallace leading the way once again.

The 6-11 Wallace was the story in the first quarter, scoring 11 of 13 first-half points to help Detroit create a 25-18 edge after one period. Prince scored eight points in the opening quarter.

The Pistons added to their cushion when McDyess nailed consecutive jumpers, sparking an impressive 14-3 run to close out the half en route to a 53-36 lead at intermission.

Despite not getting a single point from Billups in the first half, Detroit shot a sizzling 60 percent (24-of-40) from the floor.

One of the main reasons the 76ers struggled to put points on the board through the first two quarters was due to Andre Iguodala's 0-of-7 shooting performance.

"They were trying to get the ball out of my hands by doubling on the pick-and-rolls and they had a great gameplan as far as taking the ball out of my hands," Iguodala said.

Iguodala, who led the Sixers in scoring at 19.9 points this season, finished with just four points due in large part to Prince's defense against the 6-6 swingman.

"Tay did a good job, preventing him from getting quick looks and bursts toward the basket," Saunders said. "And he contested every one of his shots."

"I think the biggest difference was taking away their transition points," McDyess said. "I think we did a great job of getting back, and Tayshaun did a heck of a job on Iguodala, just not letting him have his way on the court. (Iguodala) always starts their offense and gets them going."

Billups finally awoke in the third to score all nine of his points as the Pistons outscored the 76ers, 31-26, in the period to carry a commanding 22-point advantage into the fourth.

"They played good, they played Detroit basketball and they got the win," Iguodala said. "They got that lead in the first half and then went ahead and turned it up another notch in the second half. They were clicking everywhere and they were the Detroit Pistons that you are used to seeing."

Detroit's third-quarter display on Wednesday was far different than its poor effort in the series opener when Philadelphia erased a 13-point halftime deficit to squeeze out the victory.

"Game One was a big wake-up call for us," Billups said. "We learned from it. You see the way that we came out today and the way that we executed and took care of business. We know that that team can beat us if we're not playing the right way. And they showed us that early in the series, and it was a good wake-up call for us."

The Sixers' starting lineup was held in check with Andre Miller leading the unit with 14 points.