Rested Pistons Don’t Tire of Shooting Down Clippers

Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said his club got no scheduling breaks from the NBA during its six-game Eastern trip.

“The tough part is all of the teams will be well-rested,” Fitch said before Sunday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons, who had five days to prepare, built a 32-point fourth-quarter lead and handed the Clippers their second worst loss of the season, 113-85, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Clippers, who lost at Charlotte by 34 points in November, didn’t have an answer for Piston all-star guard Grant Hill, who had 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Things don’t figure to get much easier for the Clippers, who face Milwaukee Bucks all-star forward Glenn Robinson tonight.

The Pistons shot 81% in the first quarter, the best any team has shot against the Clippers this season. The Clippers scored 44 first-half points, but gave up 40 points on 20 fast-break baskets and allowed the Pistons to shoot 57% in the half.

The Clippers, who gave up a season-worst 125 points to the Lakers in Friday’s loss at the Sports Arena, including 38 points in the first quarter, gave up 36 first-quarter points to the Pistons.

The Clippers’ only highlight was rookie center Keith Closs block of a Brian Williams’ shot.

Hill, who set a career high with 15 field goals, said he likes playing with Jerry Stackhouse, who had 20 points.

“I think we did some good things out there,” Hill said. “Playing with Jerry is fun, because now we have some guys who can get out there and run and make the right plays in transition.”

Former Clipper guard Malik Sealy, who signed with the Pistons last summer, had 17 points.

Williams, playing against the Clippers for the first time since rejecting a long-term contract from the team in 1996, had 12 points and seven rebounds.

“I think he’s having a good year,” Fitch said. “He played 55 games for us in (1995-96) before he broke down.

“He had a good year, but not good enough to get the contract he wanted.”

Williams, who opened the game with a dunk, had 10 points in the first half as the Pistons took a 17-point lead with 2:35 remaining in the second quarter.

The Clippers, who trailed by 23 points, outscored the Pistons 11-0 to cut the deficit to 67-55 on a three-point shot by Brent Barry, who had 17 points, with 6:17 left in the third quarter. But the Pistons responded with a 10-0 run to put the Clippers in their place.

“Their defense was great, you have to give them credit for that,” Fitch said. “We’ve been putting points on the board, and they shut us down. A lot of their points were due to the forced turnovers, and bad decisions that we made because of their aggressive defense.”

Clipper rookie forward Maurice Taylor played in Detroit for the first time since he was drafted out of Michigan. He scored 14 points.

*

The Associated Press contributed to this story.