The reputation of Bonzi Wells went up a notch Sunday, from both a playing and a maturity standpoint.

Steaming on the bench after being taken out of the game in the third quarter, during which he had an angry exchange of words with coach Maurice Cheeks, Wells could have gone one of two ways. He could have continued to pout on the bench, creating friction between himself and the coach, or he could have taken his frustration out on the court.

And even though it took a large portion of the third quarter, isolated at the end of the bench, Wells gathered himself and became the difference in the Trail Blazers' 100-98 win over the Detroit Pistons at the Palace.

After being benched for more than six minutes in the third quarter, Wells returned with the Blazers trailing 69-63 with 2:11 left in the quarter and put on a show that furthered his reputation as one of the NBA's rising stars. He scored 16 of his game-high 30 points after being benched, allowing the Blazers to rally for their first road win of the season.

During the final 14 minutes, Wells hit five of six shots, including both of his three-point attempts, and had two offensive rebounds that led to baskets. He also played tight defense on a drive by Detroit's Jon Barry in the waning seconds that led to a block by Scottie Pippen with 2.3 seconds left.

"Bonzi has emerged," Pippen said. "He's probably one of the top 2 guards in the game right now. He plays hard on both ends of the court."

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Portland Trail Blazers

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