Hamilton scores 22, Stuckey adds 21 and Pistons snap 5-game slide with 97-93 win over Nets

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Prince’s late dunk lifts Pistons over Nets 97-93

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tayshaun Prince slammed down a tiebreaking dunk on an inbounds play with 45.6 seconds left and the Detroit Pistons snapped a five-game losing streak with a 97-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night.

Richard Hamilton had 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including three free throws in the final 21.3 seconds, as the Pistons won for only the fifth time in 24 games.

Rodney Stuckey added 21 points and Prince finished with 15 as Detroit played with its full complement of players for the first time since the start of the season.

Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field. Devin Harris returned to the lineup after missing four games with a wrist injury and had 24 points and a season-high 14 assists for the Nets (4-43), who were outscored 10-2 in the final 2:22.

Courtney Lee added 15 points for New Jersey, which missed six of its last seven shots in losing its third straight.

The Nets, who have dropped three close games in a row, took a 91-87 lead with 2:23 to play when Kris Humphries hit a jumper from near the top of the key.

Stuckey then started Detroit’s decisive run with two free throws.

After Jarvis Hayes missed an open 3-pointer, Hamilton, called for a technical foul earlier in the quarter, tied the game with a jumper with 1:23 to go.

Lopez missed a jumper and Detroit then caught a break when the Nets center stepped out of bounds trying to run down a loose rebound after a missed drive by Stuckey. The play was reviewed and the call was upheld.

Detroit players sat on the bench during the review and coach John Kuester called the inbounds play with Hamilton throwing the ball in. Prince was lined up on the lower left baseline and Stuckey came across the lane and set a screen on Hayes, allowing Prince to grab the inbounds pass and dunk for a 93-91 lead.

Lee missed an off-balance 3-pointer on the Nets’ ensuing possession and Hamilton was fouled and made two free throws with 21.3 seconds left for a 95-91 lead.

Harris lobbed a pass inside for a dunk by Lopez after the Nets’ timeout to cut the lead to two, and New Jersey had a chance to tie after Hamilton made one of two free throws with 17.7 seconds left.

Harris, who was 7 of 14 from the field, however, rushed up an off-balance 3-pointer that missed everything.

Stuckey made the second of two free throws with 7.4 seconds to go and the Nets missed two more shots before the buzzer.

Will Bynum, who returned to the Pistons’ lineup after missing 16 games with a sprained left ankle, scored 10 points.

NOTES: Pistons C Ben Wallace hit the 2,000 mark in career blocks, rejecting a first-quarter shot by Harris. … Nets F Yi Jianlian left briefly in the first quarter after hurting his right shoulder. … After four straight starts, veteran Nets G Keyon Dooling had to sit out with a lingering hip problem. … New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia sat near the Nets’ bench … This was the first of three games between the teams this season.