CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Sean May scored 17 points and fellow reserve Matt Carroll added 16 to help the Charlotte Bobcats snap Detroit’s eight-game winning streak with a 97-89 victory Sunday night.

The Bobcats’ backups outscored the Pistons’ reserves 46-14 to help Charlotte end a two-game losing streak and continue the unlikely trend of beating only the league’s best teams. Three of the Bobcats’ five wins have come against San Antonio, Cleveland and Detroit, which suffered its first loss since Nov. 15.

Emeka Okafor had 18 points and eight rebounds and Brevin Knight had 14 assists for Charlotte, which held the Pistons to 41 percent shooting.

Rasheed Wallace scored 19 points and Tayshaun Prince added 17 for the Pistons. Leading scorer Richard Hamilton also scored 17, but shot 5-for-16 and did not score in the first half.

Derek Anderson, signed by Charlotte last week, came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer and was fouled by Flip Murray with 8:05 left. Anderson hit the free throw for the 4-point play – the second in as many games for the Bobcats – to put Charlotte ahead 83-73.

Raymond Felton’s 3-pointer with 2:23 left made it 92-82 and Charlotte secured its first win over Detroit in six tries.

Thanks in part to the Pistons’ indifference on defense, the Bobcats hit their first 10 shots to start the third quarter. Knight’s driving layup put the Bobcats ahead 66-58.

Detroit rallied to tie before Anderson, who was out of the league after he wasn’t re-signed by Miami in the offseason, scored seven points in a 9-2 run that put the Bobcats up 77-70 entering the fourth quarter.

At one point in the second quarter Bobcats starters Adam Morrison, Gerald Wallace, Okafor and Felton were a combined 2-of-18 from the field yet Charlotte led 35-33. The reason: Carroll came off the bench to hit his first five shots.

The Pistons led 44-43 at halftime despite Hamilton going 0-for-3 from the field in 12 foul-plagued minutes.

Morrison was held to a season-low two points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Notes: Pistons C Dale Davis rejoined the team and didn’t score in 12 minutes, two days after he was acquitted of assault charges stemming from an incident with Miami Beach police. … Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff called the team’s four-game homestand this week against Detroit, San Antonio, Houston and Phoenix the toughest stretch of games in the team’s three-year history.

AP-ES-12-03-06 2041EST