Martell Webster has career-high 28 points, Blazers beat Pistons 97-93

Webster leads Blazers past Pistons, 97-93

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Martell Webster scored a career-high 28 points to help the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers beat the Detroit Pistons 97-93 on Saturday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 points, and Andre Miller added 11 points and 13 assists as Portland earned a split of a four-game trip despite using just eight players.

Richard Hamilton scored 25 points, and Charlie Villanueva had 17 for the Pistons, who lost their second straight and dropped the season series to the Blazers.

The Pistons trailed 56-42 at intermission but got back into the game midway through the third quarter with a 15-2 run, capped by a Chris Wilcox putback that gave Detroit its first lead since early in the opening period.

Portland used three starters for more than 40 minutes Friday night in a loss in Boston, but didn’t look tired at tipoff. The Blazers made 59 percent of their field-goal attempts in the first half, and Webster did much of the damage with five 3-pointers and 21 points.

Villaneuva and Howard were given technical fouls late in the third after Howard took umbrage at Villanueva’s flagrant foul on Fernandez. They engaged in a brief shoving match before officials and players separated them. Neither player was ejected.

NOTES: Detroit was without guards Ben Gordon (right groin strain) and Will Bynum (left ankle sprain). … Blazers guard Jerryd Bayless did not play a night after injuring his left ankle.