Philadelphia ? Every time there was a missed shot, the Philadelphia 76ers showed just how desperate they were.

Dominating the rebounding matchup and outscoring Detroit 38-16 on points in the paint, the 76ers got back into their second-round series by defeating Detroit, 93-83, Saturday night to cut the Pistons’ lead in the series to 2-1. Game 4 is tonight.

Led by big men Kenny Thomas, Derrick Coleman and Tyrone Hill, the 76ers outrebounded the Pistons 48-30 and scored 27 second-chance points.

“We played awful. Horribly,” Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince said. “They killed us on the boards — especially offensive rebounds.”

Thomas had a double-double before halftime and finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds — five on the offensive end — before pulling a leg muscle late in the third quarter. He said his injury was not serious.

Hill had nine points and six rebounds in 22 minutes, but that was more than Detroit’s Ben Wallace managed to contribute in 36 minutes. The NBA’s top rebounder was held to six points and six rebounds.

“His numbers may not look as good as normal, but I don’t question his heart or effort,” Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’ll bounce back tomorrow, and we’ll bounce back tomorrow.”

Allen Iverson had 25 points and 11 assists, Keith Van Horn had 17 points, and Coleman added 15 points and eight rebounds. All five Philadelphia starters reached double figures as the Sixers avoided falling behind 3-0 — a deficit no NBA team has ever overcome.

“This was enormous,” Sixers coach Larry Brown said.

Philadelphia's Allen Iverson dribbles past Detroit's Chucky Atkins, left, and Clifford Robinson, right. The Sixers, who had lost the first two games of the series, won Saturday at Philadelphia.

The Pistons might have point guard Chauncey Billups available for Game 4. A sprained ankle kept him sidelined for the second straight game.

Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 24 points, Prince had 17 and Chucky Atkins had 13 filling in for Billups.

Thomas strained his right quadriceps muscle while going for a rebound against Wallace and left for good with 3:50 left in the third quarter.

By then, the Sixers were ahead 64-44, and they never needed Thomas back. Van Horn made a three-pointer 14 seconds later to give Philadelphia its largest lead — 22.

Jon Barry hit a three-pointer with 3:12 left to pull the Pistons to 86-75, but Iverson scored Philadelphia’s next five points to keep it from getting closer.

The 76ers asserted themselves on the boards early. When Hill grabbed the third offensive rebound of a single possession and turned it into a three-point play for a 23-18 lead, it gave Philadelphia a 17-4 edge in rebounding.

“The rebounds were a joke. The second-chance points in the first half was embarrassing,” Barry said.