--F Richard Hamilton missed his second straight game with a strained left groin. Hamilton received several hours of treatment earlier in the day but he still didn't feel comfortable enough to play. His status for the game on Wednesday is questionable.
"It's a muscular thing," coach Michael Curry said. "You never know how long those things take. I know he's concerned about it because he talked about it before the Milwaukee game (on Saturday). Hopefully, the treatment can help it heal and we can get it healed as soon as possible without having any setbacks." Hamilton re-injured his groin in the first half of Friday night's win over Oklahoma City. He played through it for a while, but missed the entire fourth quarter and then sat out Saturday's game at Milwaukee. He originally injured it on Dec. 21 against Atlanta, but played the next two games.
--G Arron Afflalo doesn't dazzle anyone statistically but has seen his playing time increase the last four games. He has played an average of 24 minutes during that span, though he hasn't scored more than six points in any of those games. Afflalo backs up at both the shooting guard and small forward positions. "We've had good runs when he's on the court," coach Michael Curry said. "A lot of times, it's because he's one of the guys you don't have to run plays for. He can knock down shots when they are created for him. Defensively, he's one of our better defenders."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "They were in a real good groove and I felt we were, too. They're a tough team. It shows a lot about the team we've become." -- Guard Allen Iverson, after the Pistons defeated streaking Orlando on Monday.
