Pistons Win, Now Take a Break

Detroit was guaranteed the best record entering the All-Star break.

The Pistons wanted to make sure they weren’t headed there with a losing streak too.

Chauncey Billups had 19 points and 10 assists to help Detroit beat New Jersey, 85-71, on Tuesday night at Auburn Hills, Mich.

The Pistons outscored the Nets, 26-11, in the third quarter to turn a six-point halftime lead into a rout.

“Usually, these games are tough to play, because you’re looking at a week off,” said Richard Hamilton, who added 18 points on his 28th birthday. “But our energy was great. We didn’t want to lose two in a row, and we wanted to make a statement.”

With their coach and four of their five starters heading to Houston for the All-Star game, the Pistons went into break with a 42-9 record.

“It was a good win for us, especially coming off a tough loss to Miami,” Billups said. “You’ve got to be proud of what we have done so far, but our work is far, far from over.”

Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Miami 107, Orlando 93 -- Dwyane Wade, who scored the Heat’s final 17 points in Sunday’s victory over Detroit, had nine straight at one point in the fourth quarter and finished with 38 at Miami in helping hand the Magic its fifth consecutive loss.

Shaquille O’Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, looking to close the season strong with 21 of its final 30 games against teams with losing records.

Hedo Turkoglu, Steve Francis and Keyon Dooling scored 15 points apiece for Orlando, which never led.

Milwaukee 106, Seattle 91 -- Michael Redd scored 19 points and the Bucks led by as many as 20 points in the first half in winning their sixth straight home game. Rashard Lewis scored 25 for Seattle.

Sacramento 105, Chicago 101 -- Mike Bibby scored 31 points and Ron Artest added 27 and 14 rebounds to lead the Kings to an overtime victory at Chicago. Ben Gordon scored 30 for the Bulls.

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Cleveland Cavalier guard Larry Hughes will probably miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery for the second time in six weeks on his broken right middle finger, the team said. Hughes, who first underwent surgery Jan. 6, could return for the playoffs, the team said.