AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Exactly 10 months after losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Rasheed Wallace and the Detroit Pistons opened these playoffs Sunday like they're itching to get right back.

"This is what we've been looking forward to all year," Wallace said.

Wallace scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half and Richard Hamilton had 21 to lead Detroit to a 92-74 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The top-seeded Pistons were so balanced offensively that they started the final quarter with four scorers in double figures, and were so tough at the other end that Milwaukee didn't have one.

"One of the strengths of Detroit's team is it's hard to focus on one guy," Bucks coach Terry Stotts said.

Milwaukee star Michael Redd was held to 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting after averaging 25.4 during the regular season and 30 in four games against the Pistons.

"Whenever I got the ball, I had two or three guys around me," Redd said. "They were really concentrating on me, to shut me down."

Reserve Charlie Bell led the Bucks with 13 points.

The Pistons took control with a 13-2 run midway through the third quarter to take a 64-45 lead, but had to respond when the Bucks showed signs of life to open the fourth.

"We wanted to win big right away," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said after coaching the Pistons for the first time in the postseason. "We didn't let things happen, we tried to make too many spectacular plays."

Milwaukee scored the first eight points ¡ª six on Bell's 3-pointers ¡ª of the final quarter to pull within four, but couldn't stop four Pistons from combining for an 11-0 run to give Detroit a 79-64 lead.

The Pistons will also host Game 2 in the best-of-seven series Wednesday.

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