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Suns stifle Pistons, snap four-game skid

Jan 1, 2011 - 8:12 AM Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Vince Carter and Jared Dudley both finished with 19 points as the Phoenix Suns topped the Detroit Pistons, 92-75, at US Airways Center.

Grant Hill scored 12 and Mickael Pietrus added 11 points for Phoenix, which snapped a four-game skid.

Ben Gordon led the Pistons with 19 points and six rebounds. Tayshaun Prince finished with 12 points and Charlie Villanueva scored 10 for the Pistons, who have dropped three of four.

"It was a much needed win for us," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I thought we were aggressive from the start."

Phoenix held a 24-14 lead after the first, and widened its margin to 50-32 at the half, behind a 6-of-10 effort from beyond the arc in the second quarter.

Hill connected on the back end of two from the line just under the six minute mark of the third to put Phoenix up 62-41, but Villanueva's short hook shot at the far end started a 17-6 Detroit run to end the quarter.

Prince hit a mid-range and running jump shots to extend the run, but two Steve Nash threes -- surrounding a Ben Wallace layup -- put the game at 68-49. Another Villanueva basket at 2:08 continued the spurt. and after two Gordon jumpers the lead was down to 68-55.

Tracy McGrady capped the run with a long three inside the final minute. The Pistons outscored the Suns 26-18 in the quarter, and cut the Phoenix lead to 68-58 entering the final stanza.

Phoenix started the fourth on a 15-2 run, capped by a Channing Frye jumper, and the Suns advantage stayed around 20 down the stretch.

"The thing that (Phoenix) did was their energy was much greater than ours," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "We come back and have a chance to cut their lead to 10 points and that's where we have to get tougher mentally.

"It's amazing, we didn't cut the lead, they extended it."

Game Notes

The Suns made 12-of-18 from the line, Detroit was 8-of-18...Both Goran Dragic and Frye finished with eight points in the win...Phoenix is now 62-0 all- time in franchise history when holding opponents under 80 points...Both teams scored 11 second chance points...Austin Daye added nine points and eight rebounds in a reserve role for Detroit.