Roundup | Pistons find form, square series 1-1

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons looked a lot like the team that reached the last five Eastern Conference finals.

Rasheed Wallace scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter and had plenty of help at both ends of the court in a 105-88 series-evening victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

"They were clicking everywhere," Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala said. "Those are the Detroit Pistons that we expect to see."

The Sixers took advantage of Detroit's lackluster focus in the first-round opener, rallying from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter for a 90-86 win.

"We were disappointed, upset and mad about what happened," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "Our players responded."

Wallace led the way with another good game against his hometown Sixers.

Unlike the series opener, a few Detroit starters helped him out.

Wallace was one of four Pistons scoring in double figures as they took a 17-point halftime lead, while the 76ers had only Andre Miller, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half.

Chauncey Billups made a 3-pointer early in the third — his first field goal — and made another from beyond the arc later in the quarter to put Detroit ahead 73-47.

The Pistons didn't have any trouble holding onto the lead.

"We were focused, really locked in on what we had to do," Billups said. "We got off to a quick start and we never let up. All five starters played good, and we all shot the ball well. That makes us tough."

Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia.

"We've got to be able to respond," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

Richard Hamilton finished with 20 points and seven assists, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess both added 16 points and rookie Rodney Stuckey from Kentwood High School had 12 for the Pistons after being held scoreless in his playoff debut.

Other games

At Celtics 96,

Hawks 77

Rajon Rondo outplayed Mike Bibby and helped the Boston Celtics silence Atlanta and its blustery point guard.

Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Rondo added 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead Boston to a 96-77 victory over Atlanta and a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

Paul Pierce returned from a first-quarter knockdown to score 14 points, and Kendrick Perkins added eight points and nine rebounds for the Celtics.

Josh Smith, who helped take Pierce down and appeared to land on him and roll over his head, had 13 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta. But it was Bibby, who called the locals fair-weather fans during the week, who drew the ire of the sold-out Boston Garden crowd.

Bibby was booed at every touch from the opening introductions. As he sat on the bench in the fourth quarter and the game out of reach, the fans chanted "Where is Bibby?" and "Rondo's better." In the first two games of the series combined, Bibby is 4 for 17 from the field with two assists.

Game 3 is Saturday in Atlanta.

At Lakers 122,

Nuggets 107

Kobe Bryant scored big at the start and finish. In between, he set up his teammates for easy baskets. It turned out to be a winning formula.

Bryant had 49 points and 10 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 122-107 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Games 3 and 4 will be in Denver on Saturday and Monday night.

Bryant, who finished one point off his career playoff high, scored 20 points in the first quarter to get the Lakers off to a fast start, and 19 over the last seven minutes to keep them safely ahead. He left with 2:02 remaining to chants of "MVP, MVP" from the capacity crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center.

Bryant was replaced by Coby Karl, the son of Denver coach George Karl. It was the first time in NBA playoff history that a father has coached against his son.