Webber, Pistons pound Magic

"Chris came back strong after having a scrape on his eye, but we had good play from a lot of people," said Pistons head coach Flip Saunders.

Richard Hamilton also netted 18 points for the Pistons, who have won nine of ten. Chauncey Billups scored 17 points and tallied seven assists, and Antonio McDyess added 14 points for Detroit. Lindsey Hunter scored 13 points for the Pistons.

Dwight Howard was a force for the Magic, scoring 26 points and ripping down 15 rebounds. Jameer Nelson scored 14 points for Orlando, which has lost three of four. Grant Hill added 10 points for the Magic.

Webber was accidentally poked in the left eye by Howard in the opening minutes of play, and had to leave with a scratched cornea. The Pistons forward returned, though, providing some major offensive support for Detroit.

Orlando cut to within 15 points, at 77-62, late in the third quarter, but the Pistons answered with nine straight, pushing their lead to 86-62, and led 91-65 entering the fourth. A 7-0 run early in the fourth boosted the Detroit lead to 31 points, at 98-67, and the Pistons coasted to the finish line from there.

"We were beaten in all facets of the game tonight. That’s about all I have to say about it," said Magic head coach Bob Hill.

Howard was a major force in the first quarter, scoring 13 points in the period, but Hamilton netted 11 in the quarter for Detroit, and the Magic trailed, 31-27, entering the second.

Detroit blew the game wide open with a 31-16 performance in the second quarter, all but ending the game before halftime. The Pistons defense clamped down on Howard, limiting him to five points in the quarter. Ahead 33-30 early in the quarter, Detroit ran on an 11-3 run to stretch their lead to 44-33 at the 8:35 mark.

The Magic pulled to within 10 points late in the quarter, but Detroit answered with nine straight points, and a 12-3 run to close the first half, and the Pistons took a 62-43 lead into the break.

Game Notes

Detroit is now 11-3 in its second night of back-to-backs...The two teams meet again Friday night in Orlando...The Magic made only 2-of-9 from behind the arc.