"Defensively, we were non-existent in the first half," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "They had 56 points in the paint tonight, and 42 in the first half. That was the game right there, to give them that many points (in the paint) in the first half."

Said Pistons guard Richard Hamilton: "They exposed us in every way."

When the Pistons limited dribble penetration, the Nets kicked the ball out to their shooters who connected on eight 3-pointers. When the Pistons took away New Jersey's perimeter shots, the Nets were able to get the ball inside for easy scores.

"I don't even know where to start," said Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, who finished with 16 points. "Defensively, we weren't in the game. That's pretty much what killed us."

Hamilton led all scorers with 29 points.

New Jersey's Keyon Dooling tied his season high with 23 points, with 18 coming in the second half, and Devin Harris added 19 points and 11 assists.

New Jersey shot 51.3 percent from the field, but its shooting percentage hovered around the 60 percent mark for most of the first half. The Nets led by 11 at the half.

Not only did the Nets score with little resistance, but the Pistons also had to cope with a number of players in early foul trouble. Antonio McDyess and Stuckey each had three fouls in the first half. Kwame Brown picked up his third personal early in the third quarter.

The Pistons were already playing short-handed with Rasheed Wallace serving a one-game suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul.

Detroit cuts into lead

Detroit managed to get New Jersey's lead down to seven points in the third, but back-to-back baskets by Detroit native Chris Douglas-Roberts and Bobby Simmons gave the Nets an 86-75 lead going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, New Jersey opened with a 15-5 run to take its biggest lead, 101-80, following a 3-pointer by Dooling.

"I thought (Dooling) had a lot of energy," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "Obviously, during that one stretch he really carried us. He had a really good rhythm going, and the guys did a good job finding him."

With the game seemingly out of reach, the Pistons made it mildly interesting when a 3-pointer by Walter Herrmann made it a 105-94 game with a little more than 2 minutes to play. But the Pistons could not inch any closer, as the Nets beat Detroit for the second time in three matchups this season.

The Pistons know their playoff position is hardly secure. They remain ahead of Chicago for the seventh seed and two games ahead of No. 9 Charlotte, which lost in double overtime to Boston.

"We're running out of time," Stuckey said. "We got seven, eight games left. Each game we play is very crucial for us. Hopefully we can get some (wins)."

Hamilton echoed similar sentiments.

"Tonight was a game we definitely wanted to get," Hamilton said. "It was a big game for us and we lost. It's hard, it's tough, especially when you're fighting for dear life to get to the playoffs. We've never been in this situation before, so it's that much harder."