Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace has been fined $25,000 by the NBA after he was ejected in a loss to the Hornets on Wednesday night.

It was thought that Wallace would be suspended, after reaching the league's limit for technical fouls in a season, but he had two prior technicals rescinded by the league, which allowed him to avoid a suspension.

Richard Hamilton replaced Allen Iverson in the startling lineup in Detroit's game against the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

The Pistons are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and 4-12 overall with Hamilton coming off the bench.  

At 27-29, they hold the current 7th seed in the East, but are only two games ahead of the New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls, who are tied for the ninth spot.  

Head Coach Michael Curry is hoping the change will get the team back to its winning ways.

"This change is more than about Allen and Rip," Curry said. "We hope that with this change, more guys will play better. That's what we are seeking. Hopefully this will allow us to execute better, get us back in sync and rejuvenate us."

The lineup switch came two days after Hamilton publicly said he should start.  

Iverson is not with the team in Orlando and probably will not play in Boston on Sunday due to a stiff back. Curry said Iverson was not pleased when he told him the news, but expects him to handle it like a professional.

It appeared as though Rasheed Wallace would be suspended for Friday's game against the Magic after reaching 16 technical fouls, but he'll be available.

NBA vice president of basketball communications Tim Frank revealed on Thursday that Wallace had two technicals rescinded from Dec. 23 and Feb. 7, bringing his total down to 14 for the season.

League rules dictate that a player must serve a one-game suspension when he reaches 16 technical fouls.

While the Pistons continue to lose games, they also lost two of their key starters on Wednesday night as Detroit lost to New Orleans, the Associated Press is reporting.

Detroit were forced to finish the game without Allen Iverson or Rasheed Wallace.

Iverson aggravated a back strain he sustained in Tuesday night's loss to Miami. He started and shot 1-of-4 before leaving late in the first quarter. Wallace was ejected with 7:55 left in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul in 27 seconds.

Detroit forward Antonio McDyess is expected to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent.

The Pistons will likely be a player for his services, but their struggles could have an affect on the veteran's decision.

"I hate to sell myself short of anything at this point in my career," McDyess said. "So I have to keep all my options open."

McDyess was coveted by a number of teams before re-joining the Pistons after receiving a buyout from the Nuggets stemming from the Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade.

"I just have to see how everything is going to go in the summer with this team, and kind of go from there," McDyess said. "But like I said, it's flattering that there are some teams that still think I can help them win. I definitely feel I have some options."

For the first time this season, the Pistons are now below .500 after losing to the Heat on Tuesday night. In fact, the last time Detroit had a losing record was Nov. 17, 2006.

- Cleveland 94, Memphis 79

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +20, Grizzles -20

The Cavaliers (44-11) jumped out to a 22-point lead in the first half en route to a victory over the Grizzles (15-41) on Tuesday night. Mo Williams led with 18 points and 6 assists, LeBron James posted 15 points, 8 dimes and 5 boards, and J.J. Hickson added 10 points and 9 rebounds. Cleveland shot just 43% from the floor, but outrebounded Memphis by nine. Mike Conley had 12 points and 7 assists, Marc Gasol tallied 9 points and 9 rebounds, and Rudy Gay chipped in 13 points and 4 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 14.8

Maurice Williams, Cleveland ? 13.4

Mike Conley, Memphis ? 12.2

Marc Gasol, Memphis ? 10.0

- Toronto 118, Minnesota 110

Team FIC Differential: Raptors +13.8, Timberwolves -13.8

The Raptors (23-36) erased a halftime deficit to record a much-needed win over the Timberwolves (18-38) at the Air Canada Centre. Chris Bosh starred with 26 points and 6 rebounds, Anthony Parker tallied 24 points, 7 boards and 6 assists, and Jose Calderon turned in 15 points, 13 dimes and 5 rebounds. Toronto hit 53% of their shots and outrebounded Minnesota by three. Randy Foye scored 25 points, Ryan Gomes posted 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and Mike Miller filled the stat sheet with 9 points, 12 boards and 9 dimes for the T?Wolves.

Game FIC Scores

Anthony Parker, Toronto ? 27.5

Ryan Gomes, Minnesota ? 21.6

Jose Calderon, Toronto ? 21.3

Mike Miller, Minnesota ? 19.8

- Miami 103, Detroit 91

Team FIC Differential: Heat +19.1, Pistons -19.1

The Heat (30-26) used a key third quarter run to knock off the Pistons (27-28) on Tuesday night. Dwyane Wade starred with 31 points, 16 assists and 7 rebounds, Udonis Haslem posted 10 points and 11 boards, and rookie Michael Beasley poured in 11 points and 7 rebounds. Miami outrebounded Detroit by ten, and hit 51% of their shot attempts. Allen Iverson had a team-high 22 points, Tayshaun Prince tallied 18 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, and Antonio McDyess added 17 points and 6 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 27.9

Tayshaun Prince, Detroit ? 16.9

Antonio McDyess, Detroit ? 12.6

Jamario Moon, Miami ? 12.5

- Chicago 120, Orlando 102

Team FIC Differential: Bulls +38, Magic -38

The Bulls (26-31) hit 56% of their shots in an impressive victory over the Magic (41-15) at the United Center. Derrick Rose led with 22 points and 5 assists, Joakim Noah tallied 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Ben Gordon contributed 20 points and 5 boards in the win. Chicago outrebounded Orlando by six and turned the ball over just eleven times. Dwight Howard had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Rashard Lewis posted 10 points, 5 boards and 5 assists, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 17.5

Tim Thomas, Chicago ? 13.5

Joakim Noah, Chicago ? 12.6

Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando ? 7.8

- L.A. Lakers 107, Oklahoma City 93

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +17, Thunder -17

The Thunder (13-44) made a late run, but couldn?t come all the way back against the Lakers (47-10) on Tuesday night. Kobe Bryant starred with 36 points and 5 assists, Pau Gasol posted 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 dimes, and Lamar Odom turned in 8 points and 8 boards. Los Angeles drilled 52% of their shots, while Oklahoma City outrebounded the Lakers by fifteen. Kevin Durant starred with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Jeff Green tallied 10 points and 9 boards, and Kyle Weaver chipped in 16 points and 4 rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City ? 23.6

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 20.4

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles ? 16.8

Kyle Weaver, Oklahoma City ? 12.1

- Houston 98, Portland 94

Team FIC Differential: Rockets +16.7, Blazers -16.7

The Blazers (35-21) made a late run, but weren?t able to compete a comeback against the Rockets (36-21). Ron Artest had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Luis Scola tallied 15 points and 11 boards, and Yao Ming added 15 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Houston outrebounded Portland by six, while turning the ball over just ten times. Brandon Roy had 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, LaMarcus Aldridge posted 21 points and 8 boards, and Travis Outlaw scored 15 points off the bench on 7-for-14 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Ron Artest, Houston ? 17.0

Luis Scola, Houston ? 16.8

Steve Blake, Portland ? 12.3

Brandon Roy, Portland ? 10.0

- San Antonio 93, Dallas 76

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +34.2, Mavericks -34.2

The Spurs (38-17) jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and never looked back against the Mavericks (33-23). Tony Parker starred with 37 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds, Kurt Thomas posted 10 points and 15 boards, and Michael Finley turned in 16 points and 5 rebounds. San Antonio turned the ball over just nine times, while limiting Dallas to just 34% shooting. Josh Howard had 19 points and 6 rebounds, Dirk Nowitzki tallied 14 points and 10 boards, and James Singleton contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds in thirty-four minutes of quality action.

Game FIC Scores

Tony Parker, San Antonio ? 22.8

Kurt Thomas, San Antonio ? 19.5

James Singleton, Dallas ? 13.5

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 8.3

- Phoenix 112, Charlotte 102

Team FIC Differential: Suns +12.3, Bobcats -12.3

The Suns (32-24) outlasted the Bobcats (22-35) in a hard fought contest at US Airways Center on Tuesday night. Steve Nash had 22 points and 5 assists, Shaquille O?Neal tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Jason Richardson scored 20 points against his former team. Phoenix hit 52% of their shots, but did turn the ball over nineteen times. Boris Diaw starred with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Raja Bell tallied 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, and Raymond Felton chipped in 14 points and 9 dimes in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Boris Diaw, Charlotte ? 29.3

Shaquille O?Neal, Phoenix ? 17.4

Raja Bell, Charlotte ? 15.4

Jason Richardson, Phoenix ? 13.8

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Pistons are still struggling, and many are beginning to wonder how long coach Michael Curry will last in Detroit.

"This is a tough time," Curry said.

His team is 27-27, after dropping eight of their last ten games.

"The first time they're experiencing tough times in the regular season," Curry said. "But whenever you get to that point and it gets really, really tough, you've got to work that much harder and trust each other that much more."

Pistons guard Allen Iverson believes that the team's upcoming road trip could be a good thing for the struggling club.

Detroit, 27-26, will play five games in eight days starting on Sunday night in Cleveland.

"Obviously it's crucial because we're not winning," Iverson said after Thursday's loss to San Antonio. "But all we need to concentrate on is one game at time. We got to get the first one."

Home court advantage is always talked about, but Iverson is excited about entering some hostile environments.

"I think the most important thing is on the road you concentrate a lot more," Iverson said. "A lot of times guys feel like the game's going to be won by the fans.

"But on the road you are playing against their team plus 20,000 other people, and the level of concentration is there and the distractions are not there. It might be a good thing."

The NBA had just two games on the schedule on Thursday night as the majority of the league focused on the annual trade deadline.

- San Antonio 83, Detroit 79

Team FIC Differential: Spurs -0.6, Pistons +0.6

The Spurs (36-17) won a thrilling game against the Pistons (27-26) at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Thursday night. Tony Parker had 19 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds, Tim Duncan posted 18 points and 18 boards, and Matt Bonner added 15 points and 7 rebounds. Both teams shot 40% from the field, but San Antonio went 7-for-14 from three-point range. Allen Iverson starred 31 points and 7 assists, Antonio McDyess tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Jason Maxiell contributed 10 points and 9 boards off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Antonio McDyess, Detroit ? 19.0

Allen Iverson, Detroit ? 16.8

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 16.5

Tony Parker, San Antonio ? 14.1

- Utah 90, Boston 85

Team FIC Differential: Jazz +10, Celtics -10

The Jazz (32-23) used a 30-19 edge in the fourth quarter to comeback and beat the Celtics (44-12). Deron Williams had 18 points and 10 assists, Mehmet Okur tallied 19 points and 6 rebounds, and Paul Millsap chipped in 8 points and 10 boards. Boston outrebounded Utah by eight, but turned the ball over nineteen times. Paul Pierce led with 20 points and 9 rebounds, Rajon Rondo posted 15 points and 7 assists, and Kendrick Perkins added 12 points and 11 boards for the Celtics, who lost Kevin Garnett to a knee injury in the second quarter.

Game FIC Scores

Kendrick Perkins, Boston ? 16.1

Ronnie Brewer, Utah ? 13.1

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 12.8

Deron Williams, Utah ? 12.3

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Pistons' coach Michael Curry has moved veteran forward Antonio McDyess into the team's starting lineup for the final stretch of the season.

"I just think it makes us more stable starting games off," Curry said. "It makes us more solid defensively, especially when we have to help."

McDyess will replace Amir Johnson, who has struggled as of late.

"Our hope is that Amir will play better against the second-line guys," Curry said.