Detroit showed their mettle today with a convincing 98-86 win over Boston. "After some of the games we've had, I think we've left some doubt as to whether we can solidly beat anybody," said head coach David Smith after the game. "I don't know that one game will erase those doubts, but I can certainly see the difference in the locker room."

The win came largely as the result of a great effort by Henderson, the Detroit star. Said David Smith of him, "The game would have gone down to the wire without Henderson's efforts today. He really made the difference between another tough battle and a dominating win."

Detroit was led by Henderson (9 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, a steal, 4 blocks), Graham (28 points, 0 assists, a block), Kay (22 points). Boston was led by Dick (14 points, 12 boards, 0 assists, 2 blocks), Guevara (12 points, 13 boards, 0 assists), Torres (5 points, 3 steals).

Detroit have been victorious in the past 18 games and are now 67-6. They have won the Central title and stay at #1 overall in the Eastern Conference. Boston are now 27-47 and 17-20 at home. They remain at #5 in the Atlantic and stay at #11 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Detroit* roster Boston roster