Pistons end Western tour on high note
PHOENIX, Arizona: Ronald Murray scored 25 points and Rasheed Wallace added 20 on Friday as Detroit routed the surging Phoenix Suns 105-83 to stretch their National Basketball Association winning streak to five games. Murray scored the Pistons last four points of the first half, including a pretty give-and-go with Webber for a reverse lay-up, and helped maintain the Pistons’ lead into the break, 48-43.
Chris Webber had 17 points and 9 rebounds for the Pistons, who improved to 42-22 and are now 2 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland for first place in the Central Division and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Playing in one of the weakest conferences of all-time, the Eastern squads have struggled to stay above .500 this season, while their Western counterparts continue to thrive. However, the Pistons have proved that the NBA Finals are not a foregone conclusion. Detroit is the only team in the Eastern Conference with a winning road record at 23-10 and the Pistons continued their stellar play away from home by sweeping all five games on a tough Western road trip. Flip Murray scored a season-high 25 points to lead the romp over a Phoenix team that has the NBA’s second-best record. Murray played in place on injured Chauncey Billups. He made twelve of sixteen shots and had a season best six steals. According to Murray, “people knew what I can do in this league”. “I’ve done it before. When somebody went out and I had a chance to play, I did it before. You’ve just got to be patient and wait for your turn and just make the best of it”, he added. Billups left the game with a strained left groin midway through the second quarter. According to Billups, he has been having pains fro about two weeks.
Detroit controlled the pace for most of the game and led, 75-64, after three quarters. The Pistons then put the game away in the final period, outscoring the Suns 30-19 over the final 12 minutes to secure the victory.
Amare Stoudemire continued his strong play, collecting 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Suns, who are now 3 1/2 games behind Dallas for first place in the Western Conference and the NBA’s best record.
With only six minutes and fifty-two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Pistons, game against the Phoenix Suns last March 15, Friday night, Chris Webber hauled in one of his nine rebounds and handed the ball off to Flip Murray. Murray was just filling in for Chauncey Billups. The Pistons were cautious with their remaining possessions and did not let the Phoenix back into the game.
It was a spectacular finish to the Pistons’ first 5-0 West Cost road trip since 1992. Detroit’s patience on the offensive end and vigilance in transition defence forced the Suns into a slower game than they prefer. Pistons executed offensively. They ran their offense through their inside people. The Pistons also outscored the Suns in fast breakpoints, showing that they could also speed up when the opportunity arose. Murray went off in the third quarter, recovering three loose balls and going coast-to-coast. Murray scored five more points after a timeout, finishing with 13 of his game-high 25 points in the quarter. Murray’s 25 points led a tremendous effort from the Pistons’ bench, which outscored the Suns’ supporting cast, 51-15. Carlos Delfino had 13 and Antonio McDyess had nine.
Early in the game, both teams were shooting well from the field. The Pistons started seven for ten. The Suns on the other hand were ten for fourteen. However, the Suns took advantage of five Pistons turnovers for 11 points and led after the first quarter, garnering 26 points against Pistons’ 24. Another compliment to Murray’s performance was the fact that the Pistons had only four turnovers the rest of the game. The impact of Chris Webber shone once again due to the absence of Billups for the majority of a second game against Phoenix. He scored 17 points and provided an inside presence that challenged the Suns’ Amare Stoudemire, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds. Five straight points by Rasheed Wallace made it 85-70, but it was followed by Wallace’s 17th technical foul of the season.
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Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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