Fired-up Wallace leads Pistons, 98-92

Flip Saunders knows Rasheed Wallace walks a fine line.

Wallace can be one of the league’s best players, as well as one of its most emotional and physical. Or he can be maddeningly frustrating, making silly fouls and costing his team points.

“It’s a catch-22 with Sheed,” the Detroit Pistons coach said. “He gets fired up like he did tonight, and he’s unstoppable, and I’m not just talking about offensively. His defense was just as good. But you worry about losing him for the night.”

Wallace made up for a fourth-quarter technical foul Saturday night at Auburn Hills, Mich., by scoring six of his season-high 28 points late in the game, helping the Pistons defeat the Toronto Raptors, 98-92.

“I just handed the ball to [official] Scott [Foster],” said Wallace, who called the call “crazy.”

“Sam [Mitchell] was in their faces all night and that kid, T.J. [Ford], he threw the ball down, and they didn’t get anything.”

Detroit, which led, 76-73, after three quarters, continued to hold the lead for most of the fourth before getting frustrated by the officiating, culminating in Wallace’s technical. Anthony Parker’s free throw pulled the Raptors to within a point, 85-84, and Andrea Bargnani made a three-point basket to put Toronto ahead.

Wallace, though, answered quickly. His three-point play at the other end put Detroit back in front, and his three-pointer with 2:45 left capped the Pistons’ 10-point run. The Raptors didn’t threaten again.

Denver 109, Milwaukee 102 -- Nene made three free throws in the final 35 seconds to secure the victory as the Nuggets completed a short trip with wins on consecutive nights. The Bucks, 3-17 since Jan. 1, have not beaten Denver at home since Nuggets Coach George Karl led the Bucks in 2002-03.

New Jersey 93, Orlando 78 -- Dwight Howard had another excellent performance for the Magic, getting 25 points and 12 rebounds. It wasn’t enough at East Rutherford, N.J., as the Magic lost for the 12th time in 16 games.

New Orleans 114, Memphis 99 -- After consecutive overtime wins, the Hornets put this one away earlier -- using a 17-3 run shortly after halftime to take control at Oklahoma City. Devin Brown capped the run by blocking a three-point attempt by Mike Miller and rushing to the other end for a layup that made it 75-54.

Houston 104, Charlotte 83 -- The Rockets rebounded from a blowout loss at Dallas the night before to rout the Bobcats at Houston. The Rockets missed their first nine shots but built a 14-point lead by halftime.

Utah 104, New York 102 -- Mehmet Okur forced overtime on a layup with 12 seconds left in regulation, and Derek Fisher scored with three seconds left in the extra period to give the Jazz the victory at Salt Lake City. The Jazz ended a five-game losing streak against the Knicks.

Sacramento 114, Seattle 93 -- The win at Seattle was the Kings’ season-high fifth in a row, and it came a few hours after learning they’ll be without center Brad Miller until after the All-Star break. The Kings, helped by a 36-point second quarter, were never challenged in the second half. Miller won’t be back in the lineup until at least Feb. 20, resting a torn muscle in his left foot.