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Billups leads balanced attack as Pistons edge Bucks

Feb 3, 2007 - 7:39 AM AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton showed why they are All-Stars.

Billups and Hamilton combined for 38 points and all five starters reached double figures as the Detroit Pistons posted a 96-86 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince scored 14 points apiece and Chris Webber chipped in 12 for the Pistons, who have won three of their last four games.

On Thursday, Billups and Hamilton both were selected to represent Detroit as Eastern Conference All-Star reserves for the second consecutive season.

Flint native Charlie Bell scored two of his 12 points on a fast-break layup with 2:50 remaining as Milwaukee closed to 84-82.

But the Pistons pulled away for good when Billups converted a three-point play, Wallace drained a 3-pointer and Jason Maxiell hit a baseline jumper for a 92-82 bulge with 90 seconds left.

Maxiell had 12 points off the bench as a replacement of Antonio McDyess, who was called for two technicals and ejected with 3:33 to play in the third quarter.

Andrew Bogut had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Ruben Patterson scored 16 for the Bucks, who fell to 0-17 when shooting under 45 percent from the field, making just 34-of-77 (44 percent) shots.

With the loss, Milwaukee also fell to just 2-13 without injured leading-scorer Michael Redd, who has a strained patellar tendon in his left knee. He hopes to return next week.

In the third quarter, Detroit used an impressive 12-2 burst to end the period and open a 72-62 advantage at the start of the fourth.