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NBA Scores: Detroit Pistons Overcome Sluggish Start to Top Miami Heat
Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Chauncey Billups added 17 as the Detroit Pistons (47-26) overcame a slow start to beat the Miami Heat (39-34) 94-88 on Sunday.
The Pistons opened the first quarter with a 6-2 lead but went nearly five minutes without scoring as the Heat ran off eleven straight points to build a 13-6 advantage. Rasheed Wallace was able to pull the Pistons to within five with a tip-in but Miami responded by outscoring Detroit 9-4 over the last three minutes of the period to take a 24-13 lead.
It was Miami who struggled in the second quarter and Detroit climbed to a 28-26 lead after opening the period on a 15-2 run. Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the half but Jason Williams’ three-pointer with 1:04 left on the clock gave Miami a four point lead and Shaquille O’Neal tacked on one of two from the foul line to give the Heat a 46-41 lead at the break.
Miami extended their lead to eight after Williams hit a pair from the line but Richard Hamilton scored eight straight for Detroit and the game was tied at 57-57. With 39 seconds left in the quarter Antoine Walker hit a pair of free-throws to give Miami a seven point lead but Chauncey Billups drained a three-pointer to pull the Pistons withing four heading into the fourth.
The Heat built a ten point advantage in the fourth and were up by nine with 8:22 left in the game but failed to score another point over the next three and a half minutes as Detroit gained the lead on a 14-0 run. James Posey tied the score at 85-85 with just under four minutes left in the game but Hamilton dropped a jumper for the Pistons to go up by two. O’Neal then hit one of two from the line with 1:32 left to bring the Heat to within one. Billups answered with a jumper and Rasheed followed with a 13-footer to give the Pistons a 91-86 lead with 47 ticks left on the clock.
Shaq led the Heat with 23 points and 8 rebounds but hit just 5-11 from the free-throw line. Miami shot just 53 percent from the charity stripe while the Pistons hit 86 percent from the line.
