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Pistons lock down Rockets in OT, end six-game losing skid
Will Bynum found a niche in the NBA with his ability to score in bunches. While filling in for Rodney Stuckey on Sunday night, he showed how effective he can be defensively.
Bynum hounded Houston's high-scoring point guard Aaron Brooks in the late going as the Detroit Pistons snapped a six-game losing streak with a 110-107 victory at The Palace. Brooks scored 25 points but missed his last four shots, including all three of his overtime attempts. Houston was held scoreless in the last 2:18 of regulation as the Pistons erased a six-point deficit. "I thought we did a nice job of trying to stay as attached with [Brooks] as we possibly could," Pistons head coach John Kuester said. "Will Bynum did an outstanding job of staying with him and not allowing him to get easy looks." Bynum started and played 42 minutes while Stuckey missed his first game this season after a frightening episode at Cleveland Friday. Stuckey collapsed into the arms of Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander and was hospitalized overnight before returning to Detroit. Stuckey felt woozy but never lost consciousness. Thus far, medical tests have not uncovered any abnormalities with Stuckey's health, but there is no timetable for his return. "I thank God Rodney is back healthy and he's back here," said Bynum, who had 12 points and 11 assists. "He's doing well. It was kind of scary for all of us to see him go through something like that. This win was extremely important for us. We had lost so many in a row and it's important to have a winning spirit around here." Tayshaun Prince continued his resurgence with a season-high 29 points and 10 rebounds. Prince, who missed 32 games with back and knee injuries, is averaging 18.2 points over the last nine games. Prince did most of his damage against Shane Battier, one of the league's top defenders. He drove hard to the basket and posted up, rather than passively hanging around the 3-point line. Prince also ran the floor off missed shots and turnovers, scoring three fast break dunks in the final 3:06 of regulation. Detroit's normally deliberate offense had extra pep, as it outscored the Rockets 24-8 on the break to help overcome the absence of its usual floor leader. "We made some bad decisions down the end of that game and they ran and made some easy baskets to get back in the game," Rockets forward Luis Scola said. The loss dropped the Rockets to the .500 mark as they continued to tumble out of the Western Conference playoff race. They have lost nine of their last 13 games. "We didn't know how to close this game tonight," Scola said. "We are having this problem right now. We are running out of time and we need to win some games." Closing out games has also been a problem for the Pistons during their latest skid. They squandered a 21-point lead to the Cavaliers and lost by seven points or less to the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Golden State and Boston. Bynum's defense at the point of attack, with help from the frontcourt on pick-and-rolls and stagger screens, altered the script. "It's tough to defend these guys, but in the last three minutes we buckled down and had some fast break opportunities," Prince said. "We did a good job of rebounding the basketball late. Then, going into overtime, we ran our sets well and our defense stayed intact, which is something we haven't been doing. It was good to see us do that today." Ben Wallace missed his third consecutive game with a right patella tendon strain but his replacement, Jason Maxiell, crashed the boards for a career-high 16 rebounds. Half of them were on the offensive end, creating extra possessions. His putback of Prince's missed turnaround jumper gave the Pistons a 109-105 lead with 2:15 left. Detroit's defense did the rest, holding the Rockets to one field goal and three turnovers in overtime. "I sure liked the way our guys fought tonight," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "They just couldn't finish the game." Kevin Martin led Houston with 27 points while Richard Hamilton added 22 for Detroit.