(AP)
Thursday, May 8, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla.—Rashard Lewis was due for a breakout game. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Orlando Magic.
Lewis—Orlando’s big off-season acquisition—scored a career playoff-high 33 points as the Magic dumped the Detroit Pistons 111-86 last night to gain a little momentum in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Detroit still leads the series 2-1, though they suffered a tough injury. All-star guard Chauncey Billups strained his right hamstring early in the first quarter and did not return.
The Pistons were hopeful he could play in Game 4 on Saturday in Orlando, but planned to re-evaluate him again today.
Lewis was shooting 36 percent from the field in the first two games of the series, including 2-of-12 from three-point range.
But he shot 11-of-15 last night, 5-of-6 from behind the arc, and scored 12 of Orlando’s last 14 points as the Magic took a 54-42 halftime lead.
“I made my first couple and really felt like I was going to have it going tonight,” said Lewis, who came to the Magic in a trade with Seattle. “I know my three ball hasn’t been falling this whole series.
“Detroit’s obviously been a team that’s been beating us the past couple of years,” Lewis added. “The main focus is we don’t want to dig ourselves too deep of a hole.
“We want to try to win our home games, take the series back to Detroit 2-2.”
Richard Hamilton scored 24 points for Detroit , Tayshaun Prince had 22, while Rasheed Wallace scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
With Billups out, rookie Rodney Stuckey stepped up big for the Pistons. He scored 19 points, including nine in the second quarter, but didn’t bring the same floor presence as Billups—Detroit’s steady leader and clutch three-point threat.
Billups was averaging 17.5 points in the post-season and had 28 against the Magic in Game 2.
“I’m concerned because [Billups is] our quarterback; he runs our team,” Pistons’ coach Flip Saunders said. “You saw our first two games.
“He’s been a huge part of why we’ve been successful—that match-up has been huge for us.”
The Pistons lost Billups just four minutes into the game when he drove to the basket and got tangled up with Jameer Nelson. Nelson’s leg caught Billups’ foot, and the Pistons guard fell hard to the court.
The Magic had lost nine-straight playoff games to the Pistons—tied for the fourth-longest streak in NBA history. That dated to 2003, when Detroit rallied from a 3-1 deficit to advance, and also included a 4-0 sweep in the first round last season.
“It felt real good, finally getting a chance to beat those guys,” Howard said. “The main thing is we played the way we know how to play—run and try to cut the turnovers down.
“We can beat anybody.”
Immediately after Billups was injured, Orlando went on an 18-4 run in under six minutes to take a 24-6 lead—by far its largest of the series to that point.
The L.A. Lakers beat the visiting Utah Jazz 120-110 to grab a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semi-final showdown.