Pistons dig deep vs. Lakers

Chauncey Billups had 24 points and 8 assists to lead a balanced attack for the host Pistons in a 106-96 win over the Lakers last night.

Six Detroit players scored in double figures and its bench outscored Los Angeles's reserves, 45-14.

"They've got some of the greatest players in the history of the game, but I like our by-committee approach," Billups said. "We can play with anybody. We've got so many players that could be playing 30 minutes a night on most teams, and we've got the best bench in the league."

Ben Wallace had 12 points and 15 rebounds -- despite bruising his shoulder and back during the game -- and Richard Hamilton scored 14. Detroit reserves Corliss Williamson scored 14, Mehmet Okur had 13, and Bob Sura scored a season-high 10 points.

"They had a lot of players that really helped them off the bench," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "That was a key."

The Lakers have been unbeatable at home, with a 5-0 record, and average on the road, where they fell to 3-3 with their third consecutive loss.

"We're not playing the way we should," Jackson said. "We're giving up too many points on the road."

In 31 foul-plagued minutes, Shaquille O'Neal had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Karl Malone scored 20, and Gary Payton added 15 points and 5 assists.

Kobe Bryant scored 19, but was 4 of 14 from the field.

"He didn't have a good night," Jackson said.

Spurs 94, Warriors 81 -- Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 19 points to lift host San Antonio. Parker hit two 3-pointers as the Spurs took control with a 20-2 run midway through the fourth quarter.

Erick Dampier led the Warriors with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double and ninth of the season in 10 games. Clifford Robinson added 14 points, and Nick Van Exel 12.

Suns 95, Bulls 82 -- Amare Stoudemire scored 9 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter -- including a pair of thunderous dunks -- and host Phoenix snapped a three-game skid. Stoudemire also had three fourth-quarter steals and grabbed 10 rebounds. Last season's Rookie of the Year also tied his career best with four assists, after getting just one the entire season entering the game.

Timberwolves 89, Nuggets 76 -- Kevin Garnett had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists to help host Minnesota hold off Denver, the Timberwolves' first win over a conference opponent. Neither team could put together any perimeter offense, so Minnesota maximized burly Gary Trent in the post. He scored 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting.

Hawks 101, Bucks 93 -- Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading Atlanta over host Milwaukee. Jason Terry had 19 points, Dion Glover added 12, and Stephen Jackson 11 as the Hawks snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Bucks at the Bradley Center.

Tim Thomas scored 17 points and Michael Redd added 12 for the Bucks, who shot only 38 percent.

Cavaliers 103, Clippers 95 -- Ricky Davis scored 27 points, Chris Mihm added a career-high 21, and host Cleveland held off Los Angeles. LeBron James shot poorly from the outside but finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists as the Cavaliers won their fourth consecutive home game.

Predrag Drobnjak had a season-high 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to lead the Clippers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Hornets 88, Nets 85 -- David Wesley hit two late 3-pointers to cap a 20-point performance that led visiting New Orleans to its third consecutive win. Baron Davis added 25 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds, and a clutch 3-point play, and George Lynch had a season-high 17 rebounds for the Hornets.

New Orleans guard Darrell Armstrong helped make it interesting at the end by missing two free throws with 14 seconds to go, but Kerry Kittles and Richard Jefferson missed game-tying 3-point attempts for the Nets, who made only one of their last 13 shots.

Heat 105, SuperSonics 98 -- Lamar Odom had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Eddie Jones scored 20 points to lead visiting Miami Heat to its first road victory this season. Seattle's Ronald Murray led all scorers with 31 points.