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Stingy Pistons Offer No Gifts to Spurs

Posted on: Sunday, 25 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By LARRY LAGE

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - In their first matchup since the NBA Finals, Detroit proved dominant in a defensive struggle against San Antonio.

Chauncey Billups scored 20 points and the Pistons held the Spurs to their lowest-scoring first quarter Sunday before winning 85-70, the seventh straight victory for Detroit. The Spurs missed 13 of their last 14 shots in the opening period.

The game featuring the defending champion Spurs and the 2004 champion Pistons was the opener in the NBA's annual Christmas doubleheader, lacking the Shaq-Kobe hype in the Miami Heat-Los Angeles Lakers matchup later in the day.

"We're very honored, but we realize it is a great responsibility to play in the JV game," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich joked before the game. "We have to do a good job to make sure the fans stay around to watch the varsity game."

Detroit has won 13 of 14 games and improved to an NBA-best 22-3. The Spurs have lost three of five, but their 21-7 record is the league's second best.

Ben Wallace had 10 points and a season-high 21 rebounds and reserve Antonio McDyess added 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace scored 14 points and Richard Hamilton had 11.

San Antonio's Tony Parker scored 19 points and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 points.

With Manu Ginobili missing his eighth straight game with a sprained right foot, Parker and Duncan didn't have much help. Reserve Nazr Mohammed had 10 points, the only other San Antonio player who scored in double figures. Michael Finley, who replaced Ginobili in the starting lineup, had three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Detroit led by 10 points after holding the Spurs to eight points, their fewest first-quarter points in franchise history and a total that matched their low from any quarter.

The Spurs lost the lead midway through the first quarter, and didn't regain it. Detroit led by just four after three quarters, but pulled away by outscoring the Spurs 28-17 in the fourth.

The Pistons made just 42 percent of their shots, but held the Spurs to 40 percent shooting and outrebounded them 57-30, including an 18-6 edge on the offensive glass.

While the game was low scoring, like the 2005 NBA Finals, the matchups were intriguing.

Bruce Bowen hounded Hamilton, holding him to 4-of-15 shooting. Duncan and Rasheed Wallace, who have played against each other since college, had some sensational one-on-one duels near the basket.

The Pistons, playing on Christmas for the third time in four years, hosted a game on the holiday for the first time since 1984, when they played at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Spurs played on Christmas for the first time since 1999.

The Spurs led 6-2 before going cold. Detroit scored the last eight points of the quarter, taking an 18-8 lead. Parker was 4-of-8 in the first quarter, and his teammates were scoreless after missing 12 shots and two free throws. San Antonio's defense kept it in the game, holding the Pistons to 6-of-18 shooting.

Duncan, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, came alive in the second quarter with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting. The Pistons were able to hold off his surge with eight points from reserves and they led 40-30 at halftime.

San Antonio went on a 10-2 run early in the second half and later scored six straight, pulling to 49-46. The Pistons led 57-53 after three quarters.

Notes:@ Faces in the sold-out crowd included Kid Rock, a regular at The Palace, and Eva Longoria, Parker's girlfriend, and she was booed when shown on the video board. ... San Antonio tied its franchise low for points in a quarter, set in 1999 and matched in 2001. ... The Spurs surpassed their franchise low for points in the first half by just two points. ... McDyess had his first double-double.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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