NBA PLAYOFFS Pistons' offense clicks against Bucks, 109-92



Detroit took a 3-1 series lead, and can end it Thursday night.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Maybe the Detroit Pistons should be admired for their opportunistic offense as much as their menacing defense.
They shot nearly 57 percent in taking a 3-1 series lead over Milwaukee with a 109-92 victory Monday night.
Richard Hamilton led Pistons with 27 points. Rasheed Wallace scored 20, Chauncey Billups 19 and Tayshaun Prince 17.
"We have a lot of weapons," Billups said. "We can win games with our offense as well as our defense. That's why I think we're so difficult to play."
The Pistons can end the series Thursday night in Auburn Hills, Mich.
"I don't think we can play better," first-year Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "The final score was deceiving, like it was Saturday night. But I think that's about as good as we played all year."
Turnovers galore
Detroit scored 28 points off 16 turnovers, many on easy baskets late in the game.
"We allowed them to get out in transition and that was the reason they shot so well," said forward Keith Van Horn, who had a less than successful return to Milwaukee's starting lineup.
The Bucks' benching of big man Brian Skinner to get Van Horn back in the starting lineup backfired. Van Horn, who doesn't have the size to be the kind of defender Skinner is, scored just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting and had three turnovers.
It was contagious.
Milwaukee's top two scorers in the postseason, Michael Redd and Desmond Mason, combined to miss 23 of 31 shots, and the Bucks turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 28 points.
The Pistons led 52-49 at halftime and never relinquished the lead.
"It's tough to make a run when you're constantly taking the ball out of the net," Bucks forward Joe Smith said.
One last run
After Hamilton's layup with 6:26 remaining made it 89-75, the Bucks had one last run, but they only got as close as 95-88 on Damon Jones's 16-footer with 2:18 remaining.
Prince responded with a 3-pointer to spark a game-ending 14-4 run.
Even when the Bucks fouled, they found no comfort. The Pistons went 20-of-21 at the free throw line, including making all 12 in the fourth quarter, eight in the final 1:09.
Both Jones and Joe Smith set career playoff highs with 17 points, and Jones added a career playoff-best 10 assists to go with just one turnover.
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