• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Billups, Hamilton help Pistons over slumping Magic

Feb 24, 2007 - 4:44 AM ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton brought out the broom.

Billups scored 28 points and Hamilton chipped in 22 as the Detroit Pistons completed a home-and-home series sweep of the Orlando Magic with a 94-89 triumph.

The talented duo, who each have been selected to the All-Star Game the last two seasons, combined to make 14-of-30 shots and sink 19-of-21 free throws.

"We definitely have a second gear," Billups said. "I can't speak on the whole team, but we definitely have a second gear."

The Pistons (35-19) have won four straight road games, improving to 17-9 away from home and remain the only Eastern Conference club with a winning road record.

Just two days ago in the Motor City, the Pistons rolled to a 110-88 triumph over the Magic. Billups scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures.

"We knew we had to tighten up a little bit, because they came in fighting with there back against the wall," Billups said. "They took it a little personal with the way we beat them (Wednesday)."

Detroit trailed, 71-67, at the start of the fourth quarter in this contest before taking the lead for good with an impressive 15-3 burst, capped by Tayshaun Prince's jumper with five minutes left.

"You have to know how to win," Hamilton said. "Late in the game you have to out-execute each other."

Billups and Hamilton accounted for nine points during the game-changing surge as Detroit outscored Orlando, 27-18, in the final period.

The Magic struggled in the fourth, going without a field goal until Grant Hill - a former Piston - hit a jumper with 1:21 to go.

All-Star Dwight Howard picked up his 39th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who dropped their third straight game and committed 18 turnovers.

"We just made some turnovers, missed some key shots and didn't get some key stops," Howard said. "We need to keep learning from this because we know we might see them again."

"We didn't do a very good job of our offensive execution," Magic coach Brian Hill said. "We made some careless turnovers in transition and we didn't get good shot selection."