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Pistons record largest win in five years

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons had plenty in reserve while rolling to their biggest margin of victory in nearly five seasons.

Led by Charlie Villanueva's season-high 19 points, the Pistons' bench contributed 56 points in a 117-77 romp over the Phoenix Suns at The Palace on Wednesday night.

Detroit, which won consecutive games for the first time this season, hadn't won by 40 or more points since a 114-69 victory over Milwaukee on Dec. 31, 2007.

"You don't have a lot of games like that," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said.

Starting point guard Brandon Knight scored 19 points and Rodney Stuckey, the sixth man, had 18 for the Pistons (5-11), who have won five of eight after starting the season with eight losses. Detroit had a season high in points while recording its fourth straight home victory.

Villanueva has averaged 15.3 points in the last three games after being inserted into the rotation.

"Charlie's played three very good games," Frank said. "It's not just the shot-making, it's all the other things."

Stuckey seemed to do nearly everything right as well, adding five rebounds and four assists while committing no turnovers in 25 minutes.

"He's always going to be very important to our success," center Greg Monroe said. "He's always going to be a big part of this. When he plays well, like he did tonight when he's always attacking and being aggressive, we're always a better team."

Luis Scola led the Suns (7-9) with 11 points before fouling out. Phoenix, which is 1-2 on its current six-game road swing, made 19 turnovers and had a season-low 11 assists.

Phoenix's bench had outscored the opposition's reserves by an average of 42.7-18.0 over the past four games but got outpaced by 12 despite its starters playing limited second-half minutes in the blowout. The starters supplied just 33 points and three assists while making 10 turnovers.

"I wish there was an easier way to say this, but we (stunk) in every part of the game," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "There was nothing we did that you could say was even NCAA quality."

The Suns lost their poise early in the second half while the Pistons put the game out of reach. Phoenix collected four technical fouls in the first seven minutes as Detroit opened up a 26-point lead. Markieff Morris, Shannon Brown, Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair received the technicals for chippy plays or jawing with the officials.

Kyle Singler nudged Detroit's advantage above 20 points with a transition basket, and Stuckey made a transition layup for a 71-48 lead. Stuckey then gave Detroit its biggest lead of the quarter by making three free throws, including one his team was awarded for Telfair's technical.

It never got any better for the visitors.

"We just lost control and did not play well," Dragic said. "We were frustrated and we lost control and our minds and got a couple of technicals. We could not make a basket or the right play. Overall, it was a terrible game for us."

Phoenix's bench outscored Cleveland's reserves 38-16 in the Suns' 13-point victory Tuesday but got outplayed by the Pistons' backups in the first half. Detroit used a 27-15 advantage in bench points to take a 55-44 halftime lead.

Stuckey led the way with nine points and Corey Maggette had eight as the Pistons led by as much as 14. Maggette's layup off a Monroe interior pass gave Detroit its first double-digit lead, 45-35.

Maggette gave Detroit its biggest lead of the half at 52-38 with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Phoenix was also hampered by turnovers, as the Pistons scored 13 points off the Suns' 11 giveaways.

"It definitely helps when we have guys come off the bench and lift us up," Knight said. "You talk about the offensive end, but those guys got after it on the defensive end as well."

NOTES: The Suns had won seven of their last eight games against the Pistons, including a 92-89 victory in Phoenix earlier this month. ... Opponents were averaging 103 points on 46.3 percent shooting in Detroit's losses entering the game, compared to 87.5 points on 39.3 percent shooting in its victories. .. The Pistons needed 25 games to get their fifth win last season. ... The Suns are 3-2 since inserting Morris and Brown into the lineup. "I just thought it would be a better mix," Gentry said. "It's worked out well for us." ... Phoenix's road trip will cover 6,301 miles.