NBA Game Summary - Detroit at San Antonio

San Antonio, TX (Basketball News) - Rasheed Wallace poured in 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, as the Detroit Pistons swept the season-series with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs by posting an easy 83-68 win in a rematch of the 2005 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center.

On Christmas Day, Detroit won the first game between the teams since last year’s title series with a convincing 85-70 victory at The Palace of Auburn Hills, and the Pistons looked nearly as impressive in this game.

Richard Hamilton added 22 points and six assists while Tayshaun Prince had 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won four of five and 13 of their last 15 games overall. Chauncey Billups contributed nine points and handed out a game-high 14 helpers in the emphatic win.

"It was a good game," said Billups. "We always look forward to coming in here and playing a great team. We knew it was going to be a fun one. I personally wanted to get Rasheed aggressive. When our big men our aggressive we get buckets in the paint and we are just really difficult to play."

Detroit, which owns the best record in the NBA at 28-5, also improved to an impressive 14-3 on the road this season.

Tim Duncan scored 17 points and grabbed 13 boards for the Spurs, who lost for just the second time in their past eight contests. Tony Parker also chipped in 17 points and Manu Ginobili added 16 in the loss.

San Antonio, which fell to 17-2 in its own building this season, also had a 12-game homecourt winning streak snapped, as the Spurs lost for the first time at home since a November 25 setback against the Chicago Bulls.

In addition, the Pistons put an end to an eight-game losing streak in San Antonio, as Detroit won there for the first time since April 2, 1997.

These clubs have combined to win the last three championships, with the Spurs capturing titles in 2003 and 2005. San Antonio denied the Pistons’ chance of winning back-to-back championships by winning last year’s NBA Finals in a dramatic seven-game series.

Detroit jumped out to a 14-9 lead on Prince’s basket with 5 1/2 minutes left and increased the gap to nine points on Wallace’s hoop just over three minutes later. Ginobili’s basket then made it a 22-15 game, but six straight Pistons points, keyed by Billups’ three-pointer and Hamilton’s three-point play, gave Detroit a 28-15 edge after one quarter.

In the second period, the Pistons picked up where they left off as they allowed the first two points before using a 9-0 run, highlighted by Wallace’s three-pointer, to build a 37-17 advantage less than four minutes into the frame.

However, the Spurs battled back and closed within 41-32 on Ginobili’s basket with around 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half. Detroit, though, eventually headed to the locker room with a 48-36 lead.

Wallace scored 15 points for the Pistons, who connected on 54 percent of their shots in the first half. Parker had 10 for San Antonio, which shot just 39 percent from the field in the opening 24 minutes.

The Spurs came out of the locker room on fire, scoring the first six points to trim the deficit to 48-42. Detroit, though, had a quick answer as it reeled off eight of the next 10 points, capped by Prince’s driving layup, to widen the cushion to 56-44 with 6:13 remaining in the third period.

The Pistons continued to flex their muscles and held a commanding 69-51 lead after three periods.

"We missed some open shots tonight and they were able to hit their open shots," said Parker. "It was one of those nights where things did not go our way."

Duncan’s layup with 5:47 left in the game brought San Antonio within 71-61 and capped a quick 10-0 run. Duncan and Ginobili keyed the furry, as each scored five points while the visitors went nearly six minutes without a point. Detroit, though, settled down and would not let its lead dip to single-digits the rest of the game.