Hamilton, Wallace lead Pistons past Wizards

by 1660 THE FAN Sports Wire Services

Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Rasheed Wallace had 17 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks, as the Detroit Pistons defeated the Washington Wizards, 117-109.

Walter Herrmann chipped in 16 points for the Pistons. Chauncey Billups ended with 12 points, including a flawless 7-of-7 showing from the foul line.

Antawn Jamison had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Wizards. Nick Young added 23 points and Caron Butler 21 in defeat. Jumpers from Butler and Juan Dixon brought the Wizards within 89-87 with eight minutes left, though the Pistons pulled away.

Detroit outscored its counterpart 7-1 over the next minute, with Rodney Stuckey tallying five of the points, to take hold of a 96-88 lead.

The teams traded baskets and Washington pulled within seven, 112-105, with 1:14 left in the game.

"I think we have to get back to being a little more defensive-minded and showing our defensive principles," said Billups. The Wizards were forced to foul and Billups hit both shots.

Antonio Daniels then cruised down the court for an easy layup bringing the deficit down to seven. Tayshaun Prince then hit 1-of-2 free throws.

After a timeout, Darius Songaila missed a layup and Billups took control before getting fouled. He hit both shots from the stripe to put the game out of reach.

"We came up short but it was a good effort. We're headed in the right direction," said Dixon. Washington shot 33 percent (6-for-18) from the field and Detroit 69 percent (11-for-16) in the first quarter, and the Pistons took a 31-21 advantage into the second stanza.