By John Reger
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Both the Detroit Pistons and the Los
Angeles Clippers are riddled with injuries, but they are going
in distinctly different directions.

The Pistons won their seventh consecutive game, handing the
Clippers their seventh consecutive defeat, 88-87, on Sunday.

Rodney Stuckey scored 24 points, while Tayshaun Prince added 20
points for the Pistons.

Detroit entered the game with injuries to two starters, Rasheed
Wallace (sore right foot) and Richard Hamilton (groin strain).
Hamilton was put on the inactive list and Wallace didn't dress
for the game.

Key reserve Antonio McDyess played despite sore ribs. He
hyperextended his finger midway through the second quarter but
returned, getting 15 rebounds in 23 minutes.

"I really thought Saturday I wasn't going to play," McDyess
said. "I woke up today and it felt pretty good so I decided to
play. Then along comes another injury. I just can't get right."

The Clippers are just as banged up. Centers Chris Kaman (sore
right arch) and Zach Randolph (sore right knee) have not played
in more than a week and guards Ricky Davis (sore left knee),
Baron Davis (bruised tailbone), Mike Taylor (fractured thumb)
and Jason Hart (sore right elbow) were all unavailable.

The game was tight throughout with 21 lead changes and 13 ties.
The Clippers had a two-point lead at halftime and stayed close
as the Pistons were up 67-66 entering the fourth.

"The guys we had playing for us did a great job," Clippers Coach
Mike Dunleavy said. "they played hard. Defensively we did some
great things."

In the fourth the Pistons began the quarter with an 11-4 run to
take an eight-point lead. Stuckey scored nine of those 11
points. The Clippers were 2-8 from the field in the first seven
minutes of the final quarter.

A 6-0 run by the Clippers got the margin to two, 80-78 and a
short jumper by Gordon tied the game, 80-80, with 2:54
remaining.

But a Prince slam dunk and a long jumper by Allen Iverson built
the lead to 86-82 with 1:20 to go. Gordon scored on a slashing
layup to the basket to cut the lead to two with 1:03. Gordon
then hit a short fall away jumper and was fouled, completing a
three-point play to give Los Angeles an 87-86 lead with 22
seconds left.

Prince slipped with 10 seconds left and nearly turned the ball
over, but called the teams' last time out.

"We ran a play and Tay kind of slipped, so we took it out of
bounds," Pistons Coach Michael Curry said. "We ran a play for AI
so he could come off the double and he did a great job. He won
the game for us."

With 9.4 seconds Iverson slashed to the basket and sent up a lay
up that was blocked by Thornton. The referee called goaltending
and allowed the basket.

"I got an easy shot and then someone came from nowhere and
goaltended," Iverson said. "I knew it was goaltending but what
was tough for me was that it was so loud in there that I didn't
know at first they had called it."

Gordon got a decent look for the win, but his game winning
jumper from the line as time ran out clanged off the back of the
rim.

"Eric was hot all night, he played well," Thornton said. "It is
just too bad his last shot didn't fall."