MIAMI (AP) – Dwyane Wade missed two open jumpers in the final 67 seconds to cap a bad shooting night, and the Detroit Pistons held off the Miami Heat 87-85 on Thursday to extend their winning streak to seven games. Wade, who had scored at least 33 points in each of the past three games, shot only 5-for-23 and scored 21 points. With Miami trailing 86-85, he missed from 18 feet with 1:07 left, then missed again from 19 feet with 2 seconds left.
Richard Hamilton, who guarded Wade much of the night, went 9-for-17 and led Detroit with 24 points.
The Heat, who had shot better than 55 percent in the past two games, settled for 41 percent and fell to 3-6 at home. They lost despite 20 points and 10 rebounds from Udonis Haslem. The game, the first this season between the two teams, was a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals the past two seasons. Miami defeated Detroit last spring en route to the NBA title, but the Pistons have won 14 of the past 17 regular-season meetings.
Wade took a nasty spill when fouled on a drive, rose slowly and then sank two free throws to make it 74-all midway through the fourth quarter.
Rasheed Wallace’s 3-pointer with 5:40 left put the Pistons ahead to stay, 79-76. Chauncey Billups’ 3-pointer on the next possession increased the margin to six. The Heat took a 6-0 lead, their best start of the lead. A 25-18 edge gave them an advantage at the end of the first quarter for only the second time in nine home games.
Miami led by up to 11 points early. The Pistons went ahead for the first time with 3:23 left in the third quarter on a jumper by Hamilton, which made it 61-60.
The Heat trailed only 66-64 after three quarters even though Wade was 3-for-16.
Notes: Heat F Wayne Simien is sidelined indefinitely with a salmonella infection, the same ailment that struck him last summer. He won’t accompany the team on its four-game trip that begins Saturday in Memphis. … Heat F James Posey returned after missing five games with a calf injury. … The Pistons came into the game with 171 turnovers, fewest in the NBA. … Miami lost despite committing only six turnovers.
AP-ES-11-30-06 2255EST
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.