Detroit opened up a commanding 3-1 lead against Orlando on Saturday by pulling out a 90-89 road victory in Game 4. Trailing by 15 points early in the third quarter, the Pistons could’ve packed it in but the club used an 18-2 run to take the lead and eventually enter the final 12 minutes tied at 70-70.

The fourth quarter featured intense defense and clutch shots, which are two things that has put head coach Flip Saunders and the Pistons on the map.

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Tayhsaun Prince hit a running hook shot in the lane with 8.9 seconds left in the game which gave Detroit the last and final lead of the game. Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu let the clock run a tad too long and saw his lay up rim out in the final seconds.

The combined 179 points dipped ‘under’ the closing total of 187 ½, which came after a second half that only saw 80 points posted by the Pistons and Magic. The first quarter and half both went ‘over’ in Game 4.

Detroit became the first team to win on the road in the second round of the playoffs. Home teams have dominated both straight up and against the spread, going 15-1 and 13-2-1 respectively.

Prince made the final bucket but it was Richard Hamilton who lit up the Magic for 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the floor.

Surprisingly, Orlando shot the ball well from 3-point land (55%) in Game 4 but still floundered down the stretch. After scoring 20 points in Game 3’s 111-86 victory last Thursday, Dwight Howard finished with a series-low eight points. Rashard Lewis also failed to duplicate his 33-point performance in Game 3 and finished with just 15 points.

The road win was even sweeter for Detroit considering the team was without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, who was out after straining his hamstring in Game 3. Billups only missed three games during the regular season and the club went 2-1 without his services.

His status is listed as “questionable” for Game 5 but be sure to stay abreast with our injuries and player updates.

Rodney Stuckey (6) and Lindsey Hunter (8) combined for 14 points as backups in Saturday's win.

Tip off is slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT with TNT offering national coverage.

Gambling Notes:

-- Detroit won and covered the first two games at The Palace of Auburn Hills by 19 and seven points. The second win was certainly one to remember as Detroit closed the game with a 5-0 run from the free throw line.

-- Oddsmakers made the Pistons a seven-point favorite for Game 5, while the total is hovering between 185 and 186.

-- Despite the two losses in Motown, Orlando still owns a solid 28-17 record (both SU and ATS) on the road.

-- Detroit has outscored teams 99-88 at home this year, which has produced a 38-8 SU and 30-16 ATS record.

-- The ‘under’ has gone 3-1 in Orlando’s four postseason games away from home.

-- The Pistons have witnessed the ‘under’ go 25-19 at home this season, however the ‘over’ has gone 3-2 at home in the postseason.

-- In the previous five trips to the conference semifinals, the Pistons have never won a series in four or five games. They’ve won in six and seven games twice apiece.

-- If necessary, Game 6 is slated for Sunday from the Magic Kingdom.

Chris David can be reached at cdavid@vegasinsider.com