Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups reached double figures for the second straight game as Detroit posted a 98-90 win over Orlando in game two of their first round playoff series.
Hamilton scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter on Monday and fellow all-star Chauncey Billups had 21 and eight assists for Detroit, which has a two-games-to-none edge in the series.
"We're up 2-0. We took care of business at home," Hamilton said. "Now it's important for us to go out there and continue to play well, try to get one game at a time out there in Orlando."
PHOTO: AP
Game three of the NBA series is in Orlando tomorrow.
"It's a pivotal swing. We can't let them get back into the series," Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace said. "We have to get that third win."
In Saturday's series opener, Saunders' starting lineup of Billups, Hamilton, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince combined for 84 of the Pistons 100 points.
"I might be wrong, but I think they've got five all-stars out there, so it isn't just that they are balanced," Magic coach Brian Hill said.
"They are balanced and they are good," he said. "You have to play solid team defense against them, because they are used to playing together and they are very unselfish. It's tough."
On Monday, the Pistons led 47-44 at intermission before building a comfortable cushion in the third period.
Prince drained a 3-pointer and Billups made a driving layup, capping a 20-10 surge for a 67-54 edge at the 3:02 mark.
Detroit shot 45 percent (nine-of-20) from the floor in the period.
Former Piston and 2003 second overall selection Darko Milicic's hook helped Orlando pull within 78-70 with 7:18 remaining in the decisive quarter.
Hedo Turkoglu's pull-up jumper cut Orlando's deficit to seven points, but on the ensuing possession Wallace nailed a wild one-handed 3-pointer off the glass as the shot clock expired to rebuild a double-digit lead at 88-78 with 3:24 left.
But just like in Game 1, the Magic did not surrender as Milicic and Jameer Nelson scored on back-to-back trips to close within 88-82 with 1:29 remaining.
However, Billups responded when he converted a 3-point play at the one-minute mark to extend the advantage to a nine-point cushion.
Turkoglu poured in 22 points and Grant Hill -- another former Piston -- added 21 and eight assists for the Magic, who shot 46 percent (35-of-76) and have lost five straight playoff games against Detroit.
Orlando forward Dwight Howard finished with just eight points in 35 minutes.
Rockets 98, Jazz 90
Yao Ming collected 27 points and nine rebounds as the Houston Rockets held off the Utah Jazz with a 98-90 win in game two of their first-round NBA playoff series.
Yao shot nine-of-24 from the field and nine-of-nine from the free-throw line for the Rockets, who shot just 36 percent (30-of-83) but nailed 34-of-38 foul shots on Monday.
Chuck Hayes added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Houston, which took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series by sweeping their two home games. Game three will be in Utah tomorrow.
"We took ill-advised 3-point shots in the first half," Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "In the second half we had much better shot selection. We obviously shot free throws well."
Carlos Boozer scored just 11 points on four-of-17 shooting in his first career post season contest in game one on Saturday. But he got the hang of the playoffs in his second game, scoring 41 points on 17-of-30 shooting.
However, the Rockets' Tracy McGrady, who has been maligned for his postseason shortcomings, continued to march toward his first playoff series win with 31 points.
"I have been in post season five times," he said. "This is first time I felt like I had great supporting cast to help me get past the first round."
The star swingman managed just one point in the first half in the series opener but netted 22, including 16 in the third quarter, in the second half of that contest.
It carried over to Monday's game for the former scoring champion, who shot nine-of-29 from the field and hit the glass hard.
But despite a poor shooting night, McGrady connected on a crucial jumper down the stretch.
"We came up a little short," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We are going to have to be better to beat this team. ... We played well but when there is such disparity in free throws, it makes it difficult."
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