Pistons 98, Bobcats 75

Charlie Villanueva sparks Pistons' win

Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

Auburn Hills -- A blowout in every sense.

That's what this was, with the Pistons easily defeating the Charlotte Bobcats, 98-75, on Wednesday night.

The first half was fairly close. The Pistons took a 52-41 halftime lead on an 11-4 run to end the second quarter.

Then the rout began. Behind red-hot Charlie Villanueva (30 points) and Ben Gordon (22 points, eight assists, no turnovers), the Pistons outscored Charlotte 29-12 in the third, taking an 81-53 lead.

"How we closed the second quarter and started the third quarter set the tone as time went on," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "The way we closed the second quarter gave us a little cushion."

Villanueva was 13-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He outscored the Bobcats in the third quarter, 18-12.

Said Will Bynum: "When Charlie is playing like that, it's hard to beat us because he stretches the defense and opens it up for the rest of us. It seems like he can't miss."

The Pistons (4-4) extended the lead to as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter.

"They executed, they played great and they were much more organized and played harder. They played as a team," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. "I admired the way they played and I was embarrassed by the way that we played."

The Bobcats (3-5) were led by ex-Piston Nazr Mohammed with 13 points.

Bynum supplied the two highlights of the evening with a pair of crowd-pleasing dunks.

In the second quarter, the 6-foot Bynum drove past Gerald Wallace, found a clear path to the basket, and elevated for a right-handed baseline jam over 7-foot Tyson Chandler.

During garbage time in the fourth, Bynum gathered Jason Maxiell's deflected blocked shot around the midcourt and sprinted down court for a rim-rattling one-handed jam.

ted.kulfan@detnews.com (313) 223-4606