Wallace and Houston out

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) New York's Allan Houston and Detroit's Rasheed Wallace each sat out the Knicks-Pistons game Saturday night with injuries.

Wallace, who is averaging 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds since coming to Detroit from Atlanta at the trading deadline, has a sore lower back and is day to day.

Houston missed four games with a left quadriceps contusion before playing eight minutes in New York's win over Toronto on Friday, and is sidelined with the same injury.

Houston's injury, combined with the continuing absence of Tim Thomas (groin) and Penny Hardaway (groin), left the Knicks with only nine healthy players against the Pistons.

Via Associated Press

Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets

Ben Wallace could get feisty

It is not in Ben Wallace’s nature to blast somebody with an elbow or a forearm outside the context of the game. He prides himself on playing hard, aggressively and cleanly.

But, he admits, the time might be coming for him to step outside himself and send a strong message to opponents who continually grab and hold and shove him in the back, and to officials who look the other way.

“I have to keep playing,” Wallace said. “I can’t allow that to affect my game. But I can’t allow a guy to come down and just hold me, either.”

“I have to get a little more aggressive,” Wallace added. “I have to do something to get them up off of me, whether I take a foul or try to get a ref’s attention. I’m not going to let them just hold me like that.”

Via Detroit News

Detroit Pistons

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets

Nuggets rookie lacks maturity

Carmelo Anthony’s feelings were hurt when the Pistons chose not to draft him or have him work out last June. On March 6 in Denver, after Anthony had talked about making the Pistons regret their decision, he endured an awful 3-for-17 shooting night while getting abused defensively by Tayshaun Prince and Corliss Williamson.

The worst, though, had to be what happened at The Palace on Friday. Rarely do you see a team’s chemistry unravel as publicly as we saw the Nuggets’ unravel, and Anthony was at the heart of it.

“I really don’t feel like talking,” was all he would say afterward.

Anthony started strongly, making eight of his first 14 shots and scoring 16 of his 20 points in the first half. But, he would make just one of his next six shots, raising the ire of his teammates and coaches with his poor shot selection and lack of effort on defense.

“He got off early, but we weren’t challenging him,” Chauncey Billups said. “When we did challenge him, he stopped.”

Via Detroit News

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets