Pistons lead Lakers at halftime of Game 5

06.15.2004

Auburn Hills, MI (Basketball News) - The Detroit Pistons lead the Los Angeles Lakers, 55-45, at halftime of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at The Palace. Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace are leading the way for the Pistons, who are just 24 minutes away from their first NBA title in 14 years.

Each player has 11 points for Detroit, which last won a title in 1990. Wallace is shooting 5-for-5 from the field and has five rebounds. The Pistons are red-hot from the floor, shooting 60.6 percent (20-of-33).

Kobe Bryant is pacing the Lakers with 14 points, while Shaquille O’Neal was held to only seven as he is playing in foul trouble. The three-time Finals MVP has three fouls and has played only 10 minutes.

Detroit took the lead during a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter and hasn’t looked back. Trailing 31-30 after Bryant converted a dunk with 8:57 left, Wallace started the spurt with a free throw and Hamilton’s layup that followed with 8:12 left on the clock gave Detroit a 33-31 edge. Chauncey Billups, who has eight first-half points, capped the burst with a basket at the 7:01 mark for a 39-31 cushion.

Los Angeles’ Slava Medvedenko earned a start at power forward in place of Karl Malone, who is sitting out the contest with a sprained right MCL suffered in Game 2. Medvedenko scored the first six points of the game for LA and has 10 at halftime.

DET LAL

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