Iverson comes off bench, helps Pistons beat Bucks

AUBURN HILLS, Mich.(AP) One day after a
missed practice landed him on the Detroit Pistons' bench, Allen Iverson
spoke loudly with his play Friday night.Once he got the chance.Coming
off the bench for the first time as a Piston, Iverson scored 17 points
and led Detroit to a 107-97 victory over the slumping Milwaukee Bucks."With
everything going on, I wanted to play well,'' Iverson said. "I just
wanted to play well. Especially for my teammates because I let them
down by not being here.''Iverson was benched by Pistons coach
Michael Curry to begin the game, punishment for missing a mandatory
team practice on Thanksgiving. He apologized Friday morning, then sat
on the bench for almost 10 minutes as Rodney Stuckey started instead.One spectator held up a sign that read, "practice.''Curry said the matter was closed."I
just wanted to make up for it with my play,'' said Iverson, who hadn't
come off the bench since Dec. 22, 2006, the night of his first game
with the Denver Nuggets.Richard Jefferson and Ramon Sessions
each scored 21 points for the Bucks, who lost their third consecutive
game and trailed by as many as 15 points. Milwaukee center Dan
Gadzuric, starting in place of the injured Andrew Bogut, had 12
rebounds.Stuckey responded to his third start this season by
scoring seven points in the first seven minutes. He finished with 12
points, a career-high four steals and five assists in 23 minutes."I've been in this situation so many times. Nothing's difficult. I'm always ready to be thrown in the fire,'' Stuckey said.Stuckey played so solidly that Iverson wondered if he'd ever get in."He was fast. There was a chance I might not play at all,'' Iverson said.Until
being inserted into the lineup by Curry with 2:24 remaining in the
first quarter, Iverson was a cheerleader on the bench. During timeouts,
he was the first one onto the court to slap the hands of Pistons
players running toward the bench.Iverson made a quick impact
when he did get in. He scored his first basket just 39 seconds after he
entered the game, led the Pistons with 10 points at halftime and hit
three baskets within a two-minute period in the fourth quarter that put
away the Bucks."I thought he would come in and want to play
well,'' Curry said. "He wants to do well. And he will. We want him to
be aggressive, and he was aggressive.''Walter Herrmann added 16
points and Jason Maxiell had 13 for the Pistons, who shot nearly 50
percent in the first half, making 20 of 41. The Bucks (7-11) trailed
for more than 40 minutes."For whatever reason, particularly in
the last three games, we've lost a bit of our will to defend,'' Bucks
coach Scott Skiles said. "I'm having a hard time finding lineups that
are willing to go out there and try and defend.''Notes: Bogut
missed his second consecutive game due to a bone bruise in his left
knee. He is averaging 11.4 points and 10.9 rebounds. Also out for the
Bucks was guard Michael Redd (right ankle sprain) and they lost Charlie
Villaneuva to a left hamstring strain in the fourth quarter. ... The
Pistons are 3-0 when Stuckey starts. ... The game finished off a
four-game road trip for the Bucks in which they lost three times. Their
12 road games (4-8 record) are the most for any team in the NBA. ...
Prince started his 370th consecutive game, tops among active players.