Atkins' shot wins it in last second for 3-2 lead.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Perry A. Farrell

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. _ In tennis, the phrase is holding serve.

Well, the Pistons held serve at the Palace for the third time in their second-round series, leaning on their defense and a shot by Chucky Atkins with .9 second left Wednesday night for a 78-77 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and a 3-2 series lead.

Atkins drove the baseline and put up a lay-up that bounced around the rim and off the backboard before Derrick Coleman knocked it out of the basket cylinder as his hand went through the net. It appeared the shot would have gone in, but the call was goaltending.

"It's a great time to have a game-winning shot in the atmosphere we had tonight," Atkins said. "I think it was …