Saturday, April 24, 2004
Pistons 95, Bucks 85
MILWAUKEE -- After a slow start, the Detroit Pistons showed their vaunted defense when it mattered most.
Ben Wallace had 13 points and 21 rebounds Saturday as the Pistons shut down Milwaukee over the final four minutes for a 95-85 victory and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series. Game 4 is Monday in Milwaukee.
Detroit, expected to come out firing after losing to Milwaukee at home this week, gave up 30 points in the first period and needed a run at the start of the third period to take its first lead of the game.
A dunk by Milwaukee's Joe Smith pulled the Bucks within 85-84 with just over four minutes remaining before Detroit employed its suffocating defense.
The Bucks missed their final nine shots, with their only point down the stretch coming on a free throw by Desmond Mason with 2:53 left. Wallace, limited by foul trouble in the first half, grabbed 16 of his rebounds and scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Chauncey Billups scored 21 points to lead Detroit. Milwaukee seemed ready to prove that its win in Game 2 wasn't a fluke.
The Bucks committed 45 turnovers that led to 49 points by the Pistons in the first two games of the series. But Milwaukee turned it over just seven times Saturday, leading to five Detroit points.
The Bucks also refused to surrender the lane to Detroit, forcing Wallace to the bench with two fouls a little more than three minutes into the game. He didn't return until more than four minutes into the second period.
In his absence, the Bucks built a 12-point advantage and led 49-42 at the break.
The Pistons withstood the Bucks' best punch in the first half, then delivered one of their own. Billups, who started the game 1-for-5, hit four straight shots, including a 3-pointer, to spark a 23-4 run. He punctuated the surge by converting a three-point play.
The Bucks missed their first seven shots at the start of the second half and the Pistons shot 9-for-12 from the field coming out of the break and moved out to a 65-53 lead.
Notes: Bucks guard T.J. Ford, out since he bruised his spinal cord on Feb. 24, said his cervical spine surgery is scheduled for May 6. Ford, who has a history of back troubles, said he was relieved to finally make a decision on the surgery and expected to be back 100 percent next season. "Hopefully, I can play 10 to 15 years," he said. ... The Pistons had lost their last six Game 3s in the playoffs. Their last win in a Game 3 came in the 1999 playoffs. ... The Bucks scored 30 points in the first quarter, just the second time Detroit has given up that many points in a period since trading for Rasheed Wallace.
-- Associated Press