1-26 Washington 99 Detroit 96

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Boxscore

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Winning in the fourth quarter hasn't been a Pistons forte this season. Before Friday, they had lost nine of 13 games when trailing after three quarters.

Make that 10.

The Washington Wizards reclaimed the best record in the Eastern Conference with a 99-96 victory at the Palace.

A bad third quarter put the Pistons (24-17) behind by eight points entering the fourth. This time, they showed their mettle. They took a late lead after running the same play ad nauseam -- a multioption high-post play that operates through Tayshaun Prince -- and scored on it nine straight times.

Free Press

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Antawn Jamison scored a season-high 35 points and Gilbert Arenas had 25 to help the Washington Wizards hold off the Detroit Pistons 99-96 on Friday night, maintaining the best record in the Eastern Conference at the midway point of the season.

Jamison, who had a pair of three-point plays midway through the fourth quarter, made a 3-pointer with 50.1 seconds left to give the Wizards a 95-94 lead.

Detroit's Chauncey Billups and Washington's Caron Butler each made two free throws on the next two possessions and the Pistons called timeout with 15.5 seconds left.

Free Press

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AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons wanted to avoid being torched by Wizards star Gilbert Arenas.

Little did they know Arenas wouldn't be a big problem, but rather, their own fundamentals and Wizards forward Antawn Jamison would be.

The Pistons missed too many free throws and bungled too many fast breaks, allowing the Wizards to escape with a 99-96 victory Friday night at The Palace and take over the best record in the Eastern Conference at 25-17.

Allowing Jamison to score a game-high 35 points wasn't pretty, either.

Detroit News

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AUBURN HILLS -- It's one thing to miss free throws.

It's quite another to watch the Pistons bungle three-on-one or three-on-two fast breaks, like they did Friday night against the Wizards. Considering the Pistons lost, 99-96 -- they weren't happy about it, either.

"We butchered a lot of breaks," coach Flip Saunders said. "We were throwing off their hands and throwing it out of bounds. We butchered a lot of fast-break opportunities more than anything else."

Guard Chauncey Billups, the architect of many of those fast breaks, wasn't too worried about the clunky timing.

Detroit News

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 26 -- In the midst of the best season of his career, Caron Butler was having a rough night against a major rival on national television. Butler's normally reliable midrange jump shot was off and he saw several drives conclude not with two points but with a frustrating roll off the rim.

Still, the man whom Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan calls "tough juice" was there when his team needed it most. Butler's four free throws and crucial defensive rebound in the final 15 seconds made the difference in Washington's 99-96 win over the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday night.

Post

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- As Antawn Jamison walked back to his locker stall, the lyrics from Beyonce Knowles hit song "Irreplaceable" seemed appropriate.

"You must not know 'bout me," Jamison said, repeating the chorus as he strutted confidently back to his stall in the crowded and tiny visitor's locker room at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

But after scoring a season-high 35 points -- including 11 in the fourth quarter -- in the Washington Wizards' 99-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons, just the opposite was true.

Times