Billups leads Pistons to win over Raptors

TORONTO (Reuters) – Chauncey Billups had 26 points and 10
assists as the league-leading Detroit Pistons defeated the
Toronto Raptors 105-98 in the NBA Wednesday at the Air Canada
Center.

Tayshaun Prince added 21 points for the Pistons, who won
their second straight game after losing three of five games for
the first time this season.

Detroit leads the NBA with a 51-12 record and the club
looks to be rounding back into form after a sluggish stretch
which saw the team lose 10 of its last 12 road games before
Wednesday.

“I think we just came out with intensity for the first time
in a while,” Antonio McDyess, who had 16 points coming off the
bench, told reporters.

“We play for the post-season … but we’ve let a few games
slip away from us recently. We needed to start winning again.”

The Pistons trailed just once in the game, 15-14 early in
the first quarter, but never trailed after that and always
pulled away whenever the Raptors managed to get close in the
second half.

“They (Raptors) never quit, they just kept coming after
us,” Detroit coach Flip Saunders told reporters.

“You have to give them credit and it was good that we were
able to stay on top of them all night.”

Detroit led 55-47 at the half and shot 51 percent from the
field, including making 10 of 14 attempts from three-point
range.

Their 71 percent success rate from beyond the arch was a
season-best for the Pistons.

“PRETTY INTENSE”

Richard Hamilton had 17 points, six assists and five
rebounds for the Pistons, while Tony Delk had 11 points off the
bench.

Toronto (23-42) saw its modest two-game winning streak
snapped as the Raptors remained buried in 11th place in the
Eastern Conference with just 17 games left in the regular
season.

“The Pistons are a great team, they are pretty intense,”
Toronto coach Sam Mitchell told reporters.

“We hung in there, we had a lot of good looks, especially
early. I’m proud of the way my guys played.”

Mike James led the Raptors with 24 points and 11 assists,
while Morris Peterson added 23 points.

“Being close doesn’t get you a win,” James said. “Detroit
is a great team, but we have to find a way to get more wins,
close doesn’t count for anything.”

Chris Bosh chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds for
Toronto, while Joey Graham had 12 points and eight rebounds.

In Indianapolis, Carmelo Anthony had 31 points, including
the winning basket with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, as the
Denver Nuggets edged the Indiana Pacers 101-99.

In Orlando, Jameer Nelson scored four of his 25 points in
overtime, lifting the Magic to a 114-108 win over the Utah
Jazz.

Nelson also had nine assists, while Dwight Howard has 16
points and 11 rebounds. Howard also hit a pair of key free
throws in overtime.

Mehmet Okur had 30points and 11 rebounds for Utah, while
Carlos Boozer also scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds.

In New York, Jamal Crawford had 21 points as the New York
Knicks out-lasted the Atlanta Hawks 121-117 in double overtime.