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NBA Scores: Detroit Pistons Knock Off Cavaliers, Move Closer to Home Court Advantage
Antonio McDyess scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Chauncey Billups added 14 points and 12 assists as the Detroit Pistons (49-27) trumped the Cleveland Cavaliers (46-32) 87-82 to edge closer to earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Pistons kept LeBron James in check throughout the game, allowing the Cavaliers star just 20 points on 5-16 shooting.
Detroit used a 12-2 run to end the first quarter and take a 29-17 lead into the second quarter. Richard Hamilton scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the opening frame to set the tone for the Pistons
The Pistons pushed their lead to 14 early in the second quarter but Cleveland climbed back into the game with a 10-0 run and then took the lead on a Zydrunas Ilgauskas bucket with 2:35 left on the clock. Detroit managed to close the half on an 8-4 and went to the locker room with a 44-41 lead.
Cleveland knotted the score at 51-51 early in the third quarter but Detroit used a 10-2 run to open a 61-53 lead and went into the fourth quarter with a 64-58 advantage.
Rasheed Wallace pushed the Pistons lead to ten early in the forth but the Cavaliers continued to battle and when Ilgauskas hit an 18-footer with 4:20 on the clock Cleveland was up 80-78. After Detroit went up 82-80 LeBron hit a pair of free-throws to even the score with 1:42 but those were the last points the Cavs would score as the Pistons ran off the last five points of the game.
