http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... _exte.htmlPistons' rally falls short, losing streak hits eight
Rasheed Wallace was in the midst of one of his best games in weeks. But early in the fourth quarter, he lost his cool. Soon after that, the Detroit Pistons lost -- again. Wallace's implosion paved the way for the Hornets to build a nice little cushion, which proved to be just enough to withstand a late rally by Detroit that fell short, 90-87. "We got unraveled a little bit," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "I thought we still had a chance."Detroit had one last chance to tie the game and force overtime, but Walter Herrmann's desperation 3-point attempt was well off the mark as the loose ball sailed out of bounds as time expired.
But even before that play, the Pistons had multiple opportunities to at least position themselves to take the lead in the game's closing seconds. But Detroit failed to come up with a much-needed rebound, as the Hornets continued to grab one offensive rebound after another when the game mattered most. "It's always something, like a missed opportunity to get a defensive rebound, they get it," Detroit's Richard Hamilton said. "And come up with two free throws, and then we're down 3 with six seconds to go." For the most part, the Pistons played the type of game they wanted to, which only adds to their disappointment as they dropped their eighth in a row. It's the first time since the 1994-95 season that Detroit has lost as many consecutive games. "I thought we played hard," Hamilton said. "I thought we really shared the ball, we had a lot of movement. When you're not playing as well as we have been, these losses hurt." But the Pistons lost more than a game Wednesday. Wallace's meltdown included his ejection after picking up two technical fouls. He now has 16 for the season, which means he will have to serve a one-game suspension in Friday's game against the Orlando Magic. Even before Wallace's ejection, the Pistons were playing short-handed. Allen Iverson left in the first quarter with a stiff back, from an injury suffered in Tuesday's loss at Miami. He is being listed as day-to-day.
Will Bynum, seeing action in the second quarter because of Iverson's injury, helped spark the Pistons during a 15-6 run that tied the game at 30. The Pistons took a brief 42-41 lead after a steal by Bynum that set up an uncontested dunk for Antonio McDyess. New Orleans All-Star David West scored the final basket of the half, which ended with New Orleans ahead 43-42. With Iverson out, Hamilton found himself in a familiar role with the starting unit in the third quarter. After scoring 14 points in the first half, New Orleans players paid closer attention to Hamilton in the third quarter. That seemed to open up scoring opportunities for his teammates, whose play allowed Detroit to regain the lead, 50-48, after a pair of free throws by Tayshaun Prince. The game remained relatively close for the remainder of the quarter, which ended with the Hornets clinging to a 65-64 lead after a 3-pointer by Wallace late in the quarter. Although disappointed with the outcome, Curry was pleased with his team's effort despite a series of setbacks throughout the game. "We're going through a tough stretch," Curry said. "We get through this stretch and this struggle, if we can manage to stay together and put some wins together, I think we'll be better because of it."
