NBA Game Summary - Sacramento at Detroit

Auburn Hills, MI (Basketball News) - Richard Hamilton finished with 24 points and eight assists and Ben Wallace added 19 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 99-82 victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Palace.

Rasheed Wallace recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds and Antonio McDyess netted 13 points for the Pistons, who rebounded from Monday’s loss to Dallas to win for just the second time in six games.

Detroit remained 4 1/2 games ahead of Chicago for first place in the Central Division. The Bulls won in Charlotte on Wednesday.

Mike Bibby scored 26 points and dished out eight assists for the Kings, who lost for the second time in three games. Peja Stojakovic notched 15 points in the setback and Corliss Williamson chipped in 13.

The loss dropped Sacramento into a virtual tie with idle Houston for the fifth playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets currently hold the fifth position by percentage points.

The Pistons got off to a quick start and held a 25-11 advantage after one quarter of action. McDyess led the way for Detroit, scoring eight points in the opening 12 minutes.

"We didn’t want to put pressure on the bench," said Hamilton. "When the starters play well, the bench guys are more relaxed when they come in."

Sacramento charged back, outscoring the Pistons 31-21 in the second quarter to make it a 46-42 game by the half.

Stojakovic netted 12 points to lead the Kings in the first half and Hamilton paced Detroit with nine.

Detroit took the game back in the third quarter and held a 75-60 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes of play. Hamilton scored 11 points in the third period to stake the Pistons to the 15-point edge.

The Kings cut the deficit to eight points on a few occasions in the fourth quarter with the last time coming after Williamson hit a pair of free throws to make it 89-81 with 4:16 remaining. However, Detroit scored 10 of the game’s last 11 points to earn the victory.