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Spurs take control in third quarter to top Pistons

Oct 15, 2008 - 1:54 AM GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs picked up their first win of this preseason on Tuesday, riding a furious third-quarter run to an 86-64 triumph over the Detroit Pistons in a rare matchup at Van Andel Arena.

Ime Udoka scored seven points in a 21-2 run to close the third quarter, turning a four-point game into a blowout as the Pistons (4-1) dropped their first exhibition game of the year.

Once again, the Spurs (1-2) went with a limited lineup, as guard Tony Parker and swingman Michael Finley were both given the night off by head coach Gregg Popovich. Even in their absence, San Antonio registered its best offensive output of the preseason. Reserve guard Desmon Farmer led the way with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting - including 2-for-4 from 3-point range - and Tim Duncan added 10 points and eight rebounds.

After falling behind by double-digits at the half, the Pistons scored the first six points of the second half - with Richard Hamilton knocking down a pair of jumpers - to cut the deficit to 48-44. But they went cold for the rest of the quarter, missing their final 14 field-goal attempts as the Spurs took control.

With Parker resting on the sidelines, rookie point guard George Hill - the team's first-round pick in this year's draft - got the start. He buried a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points and four assists in 17 minutes.

Detroit was without its floor general as well. All-Star Chauncey Billups was held out of action with a sprained right ankle, which he suffered during Saturday's 111-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The injury is not considered serious.

The rest of the Pistons had a rough night offensively. Billups' replacement, second-year guard Rodney Stuckey, went 1-for-9 from the floor. Rasheed Wallace was even worse, failing to connect on any of his seven field-goal attempts. By comparison, Hamilton's 4-for-11 showing was respectable, but the Pistons as a whole shot 27.8 percent (22-for-79) from the field.

Reserve guard Will Bynum was the only Piston to reach double-figures in scoring, finishing with 10 points.