Suns have no answers for Wallace, Pistons

PHOENIX -- Detroit saves its best for the big ones, so the Pistons were more than ready for Shaquille O’Neal.

Rasheed Wallace scored 22 points in 26 minutes to lead six Detroit players in double figures, and the Pistons embarrassed O’Neal and the Phoenix Suns, 116-86, Sunday.

“This was a big game for us,” Chauncey Billups said of the Pistons, who ended the Suns’ 11-game winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents. “You know how we are, man, when we play against other elite teams, we lock in. We lock in big-time. I thought everybody played great today -- everybody.”

Phoenix lost to a team from the East for only the third time in 25 tries this season.

The Pistons, opening a four-game trip, built an 18-point halftime lead, then blew open a 36-point advantage in the third quarter, the Suns’ biggest deficit of the season.

“It’s embarrassing, it’s disappointing, it’s everything,” Suns point guard Steve Nash said. “It’s tough, no matter who you play, to lose by 30 points.”

Their most one-sided loss of the season left the Suns 1-2 since O’Neal’s debut.

“Maybe we used all the adrenaline left these last two games,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said of the Suns’ close loss to the Lakers on Wednesday, followed by a victory over Boston on Friday. “Emotionally, we’ve been on a high for the last three days and you wake up on Sunday at noon and we’re not quite ready to play.”

O’Neal, who turns 36 in two weeks, had seven points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes and was one for eight from the free-throw line.

“We still have to be realistic about things,” he said. “I’ve only been here about eight days. This is only my third game with the guys, so we still have a lot of figuring out to do. If everyone just sticks with their role, we should be fine.”

Amare Stoudemire scored 31 for Phoenix. Leandro Barbosa had 18.