A gutsy outing by New Orleans, combined with a few breaks, gave them a 93-70 upset of Detroit. Detroit was the favorite coming in, and it showed when they were sharp. But Detroit played their hearts out and stuck around, which put them in position to capitalize on what chances they were given. "They played about the perfect game, given the team's talent," said Detroit coach David Smith. "[New Orleans coach] Bob did a splendid job getting them ready for the game, and they didn't give us anything for free."

Said New Orleans star Raymond, "Coach just told us to go out there and stay focused. Told us that if we played a mistake-free game, it could be ours to win. And that's exactly what happened."

New Orleans was led by Raymond (35 points, 2 assists, 2 steals), Forde (14 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks), Jordan (17 points, 3 assists, a block). Detroit was led by Garcia (16 points, 5 boards, 1 assists, a steal, a block), Marko (16 points, a block), Johnson (11 points, a steal, a block).

With this win, New Orleans improve to 16-25 and 12-11 at home. They hold at #4 in the Southwest and stay at #10 overall in the Western Conference. Detroit halted their winning streak at 5 games, and stand at 22-17. They stay at #2 in the Central and drop to #7 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score New Orleans roster Detroit* roster