'Sheed, Billups lead Detroit with 18 points each

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- It takes a great defensive player like Ben Wallace to truly appreciate the Detroit Pistons' current streak.

The Pistons extended their NBA record by holding an opponent under 70 points for the fourth straight game in a 98-65 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

"This is a lot of fun," Wallace said. "We're playing basketball the right way. Every guy on the team is doing their jobs."

The Pistons are the first team since the shot clock was implemented in 1954-55 to have a streak of more than two games, and have won the four games by an average of 25 points.

"We didn't go out there to set any records -- we're just trying to play the best basketball we can," Rasheed Wallace said. "We can still improve quite a bit, but once we get our nooks and crannies ironed out, we're going to be heavy contenders."

Detroit has won eight of nine since acquiring Rasheed Wallace from Atlanta in a trade.

"I haven't heard our guys talking about the record, but I know they take a lot of pride in the defense," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "We've gotten so much better now that we have Ben and Rasheed's length back there. Our mind-set is to defend."

Chauncey Billups led the Pistons with 19 points, while Rasheed Wallace added 18.

Chicago, which played without center Eddy Curry (thigh), lost its fourth in a row and had a season-low point total.

"That's a bad defeat, obviously," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "We didn't do a whole lot right tonight. We spent most of the night searching for any lineup that could get something going , but right now, I'm having difficulty doing that."

Reserve Kendall Gill had 12 points to lead Chicago, which had nearly as many turnovers (20) as baskets (25).

The Bulls missed their first eight shots of the game, including two airballs, as Detroit built a 9-0 lead. The Pistons, who led 52-36 at halftime, shot 59.5 percent from the field in the first half while Chicago made just 30.4 percent of its shots. Rasheed Wallace had 16 points in the half, including 12 in the first quarter.

"They got a lot of offensive momentum with Rasheed early in the first quarter," Chicago's Jerome Williams said. "That really got them going, and we weren't able to get back into the game."

Detroit led by as many as 35 in the second half, allowing the Pistons to give their reserves plenty of playing time. Darko Milicic, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft, had two points, two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes.

Game notes
Tayshaun Prince left the game at halftime with a shoulder strain and did not return. His status is unknown for Sunday's game against Philadelphia. ... The Pistons activated center Mehmet Okur (back) from the injured list before the game and placed Tremaine Fowlkes (groin) on the list. ... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attended the game as a Knicks scout. ... Chicago's Linton Johnson and Skiles picked up technicals for arguing with officials. ... Detroit has won nine straight over the Bulls. ... Johnson finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds in place of Curry.