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PHOENIX, Arizona: The Detroit Pistons, seeking to
gain ground in the National Basketball Association’s Eastern
Conference, routed one of the West’s top teams Sunday,
embarrassing the Phoenix Suns, 116-86.
Rasheed Wallace scored 22 points
to lead six Pistons’ players in double figures.
The Suns, who started the day
tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the Western
Conference, endured their most lopsided defeat of the season.
“It’s embarrassing, it’s
disappointing, it’s everything,” said Suns guard Steve Nash, who
had just 11 points and six assists. “It’s tough, no matter whom
you play, to lose by 30 points.”
The Pistons, on the other hand,
claimed their 12th victory in 14 games as they close in on Eastern
Conference leader Boston.
Two days after their 27-point
victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pistons once again looked
dominant in a game billed as a potential NBA Finals preview.
Wallace made his 26 minutes count
as he shot 8-of-10 from the floor and made all five of his free
throws.
“It seemed like they couldn’t
miss,” said O’Neal, who had eight points and 11 rebounds. “It
was just one of those games. Everyone was flat, including myself.”
But Stoudemire and O’Neal,
playing his third game for the Suns since they acquired him from
Miami, were emphatically beaten by Wallace on the defensive end.
“Against Shaq, you’ve got to
man up,” Wallace said. “You are going to take some of those
elbows, you are going to be slung around a bit, so you got to man
up.”
--AFP
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