DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) - Chauncey Billups scored 28 points and Detroit dominated with defense and free throws down the stretch to beat Orlando 100-93, taking command of their National basketball Association playoff series.

Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince each scored 17 points Monday and Richard Hamilton added 14 for the Pistons, who seized a two games to none lead in the Eastern Conference second-round best-of-seven series.

"In the fourth quarter we played great defense and we didn't do what we should have done offensively - we didn't move the ball - but our defense was huge and we got the stops when we needed them," Prince said.

Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson each scored 22 points to lead Orlando while Rashard Lewis had 20 points for the Magic. Howard also grabbed 18 rebounds for Orlando, which will host games three and four on Wednesday and Saturday.

"We know it's going to be hard down there, but we've just got to go down and play and execute," Wallace said. "I think we'll come out all right."

The Magic can take some heart from the fact the Pistons led Cleveland 2-0 in last year's conference final but lost the series to Cleveland.

"We've got two games at home now," Howard said. "Cleveland was down like this to them last year."

The victory was Detroit's ninth in a row over Orlando in the playoffs since last losing to the Magic in the first round in 2003.

Should the Pistons sweep out Orlando, they will set an NBA record for dominating a foe in the playoffs as well as advance to their sixth Eastern Conference final in a row.

"We made some bad decisions and some tough shots down the stretch and got away from playing the way that we had played when things were going well," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said.

"A little frustrating, but I think that our guys fought extremely hard, fought through some adversity, but just a very, very, very tough loss for us."

The Pistons, who won game one 91-72 here on Saturday, scored their final 13 points from the free throw line and kept the Magic at bay with tenacious defensive work.

"That's the scary part of playing this team," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "They go through runs of making threes where you're saying that it's never going to end."

Hamilton had missed his previous seven shots but sank a 3-pointer with 5:27 to go to put the Pistons ahead 87-86 and Billups added two free throws to cap a crucial 7-0 Pistons run over a span of 1:47.

With defenses dominating and fouls adding up, Howard and Billups traded two free throws each, then Hamilton hit two more for Detroit with 2:10 remaining to put the Pistons ahead 93-88.

Orlando went 7-for-7 from 3-point range in the third quarter but the Magic went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter until Nelson's 3-pointer pulled Orlando within 93-91.

"We had a great third quarter and got back in the game, but we didn't take care of the ball in the fourth," said Nelson. "We have to make more plays, but we definitely looked a lot more like ourselves."

Hamilton added a free throw with 1:23 remaining but Howard tipped-in a rebound with 1:03 remaining to lift Orlando within 94-93, although Jason Maxiell hit 1-of-2 free throws 15 seconds later to double Detroit's lead.

Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu missed a 3-pointer for Orlando but a Detroit shot-clock violation gave the ball back to the Magic for one last chance with 17.8 seconds remaining.

Lewis missed a layin and Turkoglu lost the rebound out of bounds, forcing the Magic to foul to stop the clock. Hamilton hit one free throw and Billups sank four more in the final seconds to finish off the Magic.

"Rip (Hamilton) and I had a lot of energy down the stretch, so that was huge," Billups said.