In Tuesday's action in the National Basketball Association, the Detroit Pistons headed into the All-Star break with an easy 85-71 victory over the visiting New Jersey Nets.
Chauncey Billups scored 19 points to lead the Pistons, while Richard Hamilton -- celebrating his 28th birthday -- added 18 points. Teammates Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace had double figures each in scoring and rebounds.
The win was Detroit's third in four games, and boosted its record to an NBA-leading 42 wins against just nine losses. The Pistons have used the same starting lineup in all 51 games.
In other N.B.A. games, Dwayne Wade scored 38 points to lead the host Miami Heat to a 107-93 win over the Orlando Magic. Shaquille O'Neal scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Miami. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the visiting Seattle SuperSonics 106-91, led by Michael Redd's 19-point performance. And Mike Bibby scored 31 points to help the Sacramento Kings beat the host Chicago Bulls 105-101 in overtime. Ron Artest added 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Kings.