AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Chauncey Billups had 19 points and 10 assists to help the Detroit Pistons beat the Nets 85-71 last night in their last game before the All-Star break.

Richard Hamilton added 18 points and Ben Wallace had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks to help Detroit win for the third time in four games.

Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Vince Carter scored 13. Jason Kidd had all 10 of his points in the first half and matched his season-low with three assists.

The Pistons outscored the Nets 26-11 in the third quarter to turn a sixpoint halftime lead into a rout.

New Jersey had closed within 49-46 early in the third, but the Pistons responded with a 14-0 run to blow the game open. Billups and Rasheed Wallace had five points each in the spurt.

Carter ended the run with a layup, but the Pistons came back with a spectacular dunk by Ben Wallace off an alley-oop from Billups.

Billups finished the period with a three-point play to give the Pistons a 71-50 lead.

The Pistons built a 45-39 at the half, as Hamilton and Billups combined for 23 points. Jefferson had 10 for the Nets, who outshot Detroit 43% to 39% in the first half.

During the second quarter, the Nets’ frustration began to show, and the officials called three technical fouls – on Hamilton, Nets coach Lawrence Frank, and New Jersey assistant Tom Barrise – in a 4:22 span of the second quarter.

Although the Nets had a successful 4-1 homestand, they’re still trying to break a seven-game road losing streak as they look to two more games away from East Rutherford. New Jersey has dropped eight of its last 10 games in Detroit.

Detroit has used the same starting lineup in all 51 games this season. Only the 1985-86 Rockets (52 games) and 2002-03 Warriors (66) have had longer streaks from the beginning of the season since 1980. By contrast, the last place Knicks have used an NBA-high 30 different starting lineup this season.