|
 Forward LeBron James had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine
assists as the Heat snapped the Pistons' four-game winning streak
with a 110-95 victory on Sunday night at The Palace.
Guard Ray Allen, who started in place of inactive Dwyane Wade,
pumped in 18 points as Miami (16-5) avenged its 107-97 home loss to
Detroit on Tuesday that ended a 10-game winning streak. Wade sat out
on the second part of a back-to-back to rest his sore knees.
"We wanted to play much better against them this time," James said.
"Obviously, this is a big team to try to keep off the glass. They
still out-rebounded us but we did a great job of staying close and
we executed offensively and defensively."
Detroit had a 44-34 rebounding advantage and a 21-6 advantage in
second-chance points but got outplayed in every other aspect. Miami
shot 55.6 percent from the field, held the Pistons to 41.9 percent
shooting, forced 19 turnovers and never trailed.
"Those guys are pogo sticks and there's not much you can do when
they're playing above the rim like that," Heat forward Shane Battier
said. "Once they catch it, you try to wall them up and keep them
pinned on the baseline so they don't have an easy shot."
Center Chris Bosh supplied 16 points and nine rebounds and recorded
his 1,500th career assist to give the Heat some momentum entering a
showdown game Tuesday against Indiana, which has the league's best
record.
"Obviously, everybody is going to make it as a marquee game on
Tuesday but I don't really get too much involved in regular-season
matchups, especially early in December," James said. "They're a
great team right now, the way they're playing basketball. We're
trying to get healthy, trying to get to our full potential. We'll
see what we can do. We look forward to the opportunity to go in and
play them on Tuesday but it's not like it's a statement game for
us."
Second-year center Andre Drummond notched his 15th double-double
with 19 points and 14 rebounds while point guard Brandon Jennings
had 19 points and six assists for the Pistons (10-11). Forward Josh
Smith chipped in 13 points. "From what I saw, we just didn't have enough energy tonight,"
Pistons forward Kyle Singler said. "We didn't really start off
that great. At home you would like see us play with a little bit
more energy."
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The Pistons played without sixth man Rodney Stuckey. The
shooting guard banged knees during Detroit's 92-75 victory in
Chicago on Saturday night and was diagnosed with left knee
patellar tendinitis.
The Heat took control by outscoring the Pistons 32-17 in the
third quarter for a 91-70 lead. Miami opened the half with a
15-4 run, capped by James' steal and layup to make it 74-57.
Guard Roger Mason Jr. gave the Heat a 20-point lead, 84-64, with
a 3-pointer off a James pass.
"You knew their focus would be a little different, a little
higher, and it was," Detroit coach Mo Cheeks said. "Clearly it
was from the start and the third quarter."
Miami shot 64.7 percent during the first half to take a 59-53
halftime lead. James had 12 points and five assists while
reserve forward Rashard Lewis made all three of his 3-point
attempts.
Heat reserve forward Michael Beasley was sidelined for the
second straight game with a tender hamstring.
NOTES: Detroit last won five consecutive games in December 2009.
... Miami SG Dwyane Wade, who missed his sixth game of the
season Sunday, scored 19 points in 32 minutes against the
Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. "I'm encouraged by how
he looks physically," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That's
the most important thing. He's going to get better and quicker
as the season goes on. We want to be very diligent and judicious
early on to make sure he's taking forward steps instead of
backward steps." ... Pistons SG Rodney Stuckey, who missed his
second game of the season, is averaging 15.4 points. "He's been
such a vital part of us up to this point," Detroit coach Mo
Cheeks said. "We look to him to give us a spark off the bench."
... Detroit was 30th in defensive field-goal percentage prior to
the win streak but was up 22nd by Sunday. "Our defense has
gotten a little better," Cheeks said. "We've been more
aggressive on the ball and in trying to take away paint points."
... Prior to Sunday, F Shane Battier took nine charges this
season, nearly half of the Heat's total of 19.
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