Pistons try to bounce back at home against Nets

Both teams have won two games at home, as the Pistons won Games 1 and 2 at The Palace, while the Nets took home victories in Games 3 and 4 at Continental Airlines Arena.

This is a best-of-seven series, with Game 6 scheduled for Sunday at the Meadowlands.

On Tuesday, Jason Kidd posted his seventh career playoff triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, as New Jersey evened the series at two games apiece with a 94-79 victory over Detroit in Game 4.

Kenyon Martin finished with a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Nets, who led the entire way in front of their home crowd at Continental Airlines Arena. Richard Jefferson contributed 19 points and seven boards and Kerry Kittles scored 14 in the win.

Kidd, who has six playoff triple-doubles with the Nets, was 8-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the foul line in Tuesday’s win.

Richard Hamilton scored 30 to lead the Pistons, who set a franchise playoff- low for points scored in Sunday’s 82-64 loss in Game 3. Hamilton was the only Detroit player in double digits. No one else had more than eight points for the Pistons, who shot just 37 percent in the Game 4. All-Star Ben Wallace ended with six points and 15 boards for the Pistons.

The Nets are 5-3 all-time in Game 5s in the postseason, while the Pistons have won four of their last five Game 5s.

Detroit, which has never lost a playoff series after winning the first two contests, has won 10 of its last 13 playoff games at home, while New Jersey has lost four of their last seven as the visitor in the postseason.

New Jersey, which has never rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a playoff series, is 4-3 all-time in postseason series when it goes into Game 5 tied at two games apiece. The Nets are 2-2 in best-of-seven series when they are tied at two games apiece going into the fifth contest.

This is the third time that the teams have met in the playoffs. In the 2003 Eastern Conference finals, the Nets, who have represented the East in the NBA Finals the past two seasons, swept the Pistons out of the postseason in four straight games. New Jersey would lose in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

The squads also met in the first round of the 1985 playoffs. That series had a different result than last season, as the Pistons swept New Jersey, 3-0.