Heat-Pistons Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 22 2012 9:56PM

Two scary falls aren't about to sideline LeBron James.

James expects to play when the Miami Heat go for a fourth straight win Friday night against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

James said Thursday that he was improving despite still dealing with neck and elbow stiffness after suffering two hard falls during Tuesday's 99-95 home victory over Phoenix.

Near the end of the game, James collided with Grant Hill and was on the court for nearly 2 minutes before being helped to his feet.

"When he was still down, I knew it was something," teammate Dwyane Wade said Wednesday. "It was a good hit. But he's fine. He's good. He wasn't out of it. He just got hit pretty good."

James said he will play Friday, and coach Erik Spoelstra said his superstar passed the training staff's tests.

The Heat (34-11), who have won six of eight and are three games behind Chicago for the best record in the NBA, are trying to improve their consistency on the road. They open a three-game trip 14-9 away from home, but with four losses in their last five road contests.

"We've got to get back on track when we leave this city," Spoelstra said. "Get to the level of basketball we were playing on the road before the break."

Miami is giving up an average of 96.0 points in its last five road games compared to 86.2 in the last five at home, where the Heat have won 14 straight.

Looking to strengthen its play inside, Miami signed veteran center Ronny Turiaf this week. Turiaf, who could be available Friday, played four games with Washington this season and has averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds during his seven-year career.

The Heat have won six straight in Detroit and five in a row overall against the Pistons (16-30), including a 101-98 victory at The Palace on Jan. 25 behind 32 points from James. Wade sat out that contest with a right ankle injury.

In addition to its skid in the series with Miami, Detroit hopes to snap a three-game overall losing streak Friday. The Pistons fell 116-115 at Denver on Wednesday to complete a 1-4 road trip.

Ben Gordon tied an NBA record by going 9 of 9 from 3-point range, but after rallying from a 25-point deficit the Pistons came up short. Nuggets center JaVale McGee rebounded a missed free throw and dunked with five seconds remaining.

Gordon finished with a season-high 45 points - three off his career best - while making his first start since January in place of the injured Rodney Stuckey (toe).

"I just tried not to think about the points or look at what I was scoring," Gordon said. "I think that's why I was able to shoot the ball the way I did. But it's unfortunate that after a performance like that from the team as whole, after being down 25, it's a tough pill to swallow."

The Nuggets shot 58.2 percent as Detroit gave up at least 105 points for the fourth time in five games. Opponents shot 50.5 percent against the Pistons during the trip.

Stuckey's status for Friday is uncertain.

Heat beat Pistons 88-73 for fourth straight win

By NOAH TRISTER
Posted Mar 23 2012 11:31PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) LeBron James and the Miami Heat were thinking about a lot more than basketball Friday.

All anyone needed to do was look at their shoes.

James and Dwyane Wade were among several Miami players who took the floor with messages on their sneakers about the death of an unarmed black teenager who was shot by a neighborhood crime-watch volunteer in a suburb of Orlando, Fla. The Heat made quick work of the Pistons in an 88-73 victory, but the focus afterward was on the team's decision to speak out.

Miami also posed for a picture earlier in the day wearing team-logo hoodies. Trayvon Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt when he was shot last month.

"As leaders, as role models, we're happy that we're able to shed light on a situation that we feel isn't right," James said. "That's why we did that today."

James had 17 points and 10 assists, and Wade added 24 points for Miami, which won its fourth straight. The game itself was unremarkable, but the Heat attracted attention well before the opening tip.

Martin was killed as he was returning to a gated community, carrying candy and iced tea. A neighborhood crime-watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, said he acted in self-defense. He has not been arrested, though state and federal authorities are still investigating.

Protests have popped up nationwide in recent days, and Wade posted a photo of himself wearing a hooded shirt to his Twitter and Facebook pages Friday morning. A couple hours later, James posted another photo - this one of 13 Heat players, all wearing team-logo hoodies, their heads bowed, their hands stuffed into their pockets.

"Just a sign of support from us and our team," Wade said. "I'm glad that everybody really was on board with it and wanted to do it, because a lot of times it's hard for guys to take that leap and step out and get into the political world. For us, we just want to support his family, in memory of him."

Players took the floor with messages such as "RIP Trayvon Martin" and "We want justice" scrawled on their shoes.

Miami then took control of the game early. The Heat led by 26 in the third quarter, although Detroit did rally to make it respectable.

Brandon Knight scored 18 points for the Pistons, who have lost five of six.

"We knew exactly how they were going to defend us, but we weren't able to do much against them," Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said. "We kept trying to move the ball through the forest of hands, and they were getting all kinds of tips and deflections."

Detroit trailed 72-57 after three and cut the deficit to single digits early in the fourth. After Jonas Jerebko's reverse dunk on a breakaway made it 74-65, the Heat took a timeout with 8:58 to play.

Wade made a floater to start a 10-2 run.

Detroit was without guard Rodney Stuckey, out with a sore left big toe. Ben Gordon, who made all nine of his 3-point attempts in a 45-point effort at Denver on Wednesday night, went 0 for 4 from beyond the arc and scored 10 points.

Miami's Joel Anthony returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday's win over Phoenix with a sprained left ankle. He scored six points.

The Heat shot 57 percent in the first half and finished the second quarter strong. Wade's layup off a pass from James with 4.3 seconds remaining made it 59-36, and Chris Bosh blocked Will Bynum's attempt at a driving layup at the other end.

James intercepted a pass near midcourt in the third quarter and found Wade alone downcourt for an alley-oop dunk. Mario Chalmers then sank a 3-pointer to make it 70-44.

"We're playing some good basketball right now," James said. "Other than our turnovers in the third, for the most part we played a great game tonight."

NOTES: Knight now holds Detroit's rookie record for 3-pointers after making four Friday for a season total of 73. Lindsey Hunter made 69 in 1993-94. ... Miami's Mike Miller remained out with a sprained left ankle.

Notebook: Heat 88, Pistons 73

Posted Friday March 23, 2012 11:07PM

By Dana Gauruder, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Dwyane Wade had 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the Miami Heat stretched their winning streak to four games with a 88-73 triumph over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace Friday night. LeBron James contributed 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as the Heat defeated the Pistons for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings. Rookie Brandon Knight led Detroit, which lost its fourth straight, with 18 points.

QUOTABLE: "Unfortunately, what you remember is you didn't play well for 48 minutes. We've struggled with that since the All-Star break, putting together four solid quarters of basketball. Time's running out here and we need to start building and putting together some complete games."
-- Heat forward Shane Battier on allowing the Pistons to cut a 26-point deficit to nine in the fourth quarter

THE STAT: 17. James increased his personal winning streak over the Pistons to 17 games, including the postseason. It started with the last three regular-season meetings between Detroit and Cleveland in 2008-09, followed by a four-game Cavaliers' sweep in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Cleveland swept all four regular-season meetings in James' last season there. Miami then went 4-0 against Detroit last season after James joined forces with Wade. The Heat won the first of three meetings this season against the Pistons with a 101-98 victory at The Palace Jan. 25.

TURNING POINT: Miami's second unit allowed the Heat to take control in the second quarter. Battier had nine points and four rebounds as Miami outscored Detroit 32-16. The Heat also got baskets from three other reserves, while Wade scored 10 points and James dished out four assists.

QUOTABLE II: "It looked like everyone else in the league was in the lockout and they weren't."
-- Pistons forward Damien Wilkins on the Heat, who are now 35-11

HOT: Wade bounced back from a 12-point performance against Phoenix by shooting 10-for-19 from the field. He had six of his baskets on layups or dunks, mostly in transition as the Heat forced 23 turnovers and turned them into 27 points.

NOT: Pistons guard Ben Gordon, coming off a 45-point outburst at Denver Wednesday, had 10 points and seven turnovers. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts after tying the NBA record that he already shared with Latrell Sprewell by going 9-for-9 on 3-point attempts against the Nuggets.

GOOD MOVE: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't waste any time using newcomer Ronny Turiaf, whom Miami signed as a free agent this week. Turiaf, who was cut by Denver, gave Miami 11 solid minutes backing up center Joel Anthony, contributing four points and four rebounds. Spoelstra also credited Turiaf for his defensive energy.

BAD MOVE: The Pistons didn't establish leading scorer Greg Monroe in the early going and he disappeared. Monroe only had five points and six rebounds, along with three turnovers, and sat the bench most of the second half as Ben Wallace provided a defensive presence during the team's belated comeback.

ROOKIE WATCH: Knight set the franchise record for most 3-pointers in a season by going for 4-for-4 from long range. He now has 73, four more than previous record-holder Lindsey Hunter (1993-94). Knight has made more 3-pointers than any rookie this season.

NOTABLE: Anthony returned from a one-game absence because of a sprained ankle and had six points and five rebounds. ... Chris Bosh added 15 points and nine rebounds. ... Detroit guard Rodney Stuckey missed his second consecutive game with an injured left big toe. ... Miami had a 46-26 advantage in points in the paint. ... Spoelstra said the organization supports the players' decision to pay tribute to slain teenager Treyvon Martin. James tweeted a photo of Miami players in hoodies, which the unarmed Martin was wearing when he was shot in Florida last month. "It was a powerful statement today," Spoelstra said. "For them to come together to shed more light on the subject is a powerful move and we all stand behind them, not only as a staff but the entire Miami Heat organization."

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Sunday @ Oklahoma City, Monday @ Indiana, Thursday vs. Dallas. For the Pistons, Saturday @ New York, Tuesday @ Washington, Wednesday @ Cleveland.

• Heat: Harris, Miller
• Pistons: Macklin

• Heat: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #60 James Williams, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 22076
• Duration: 2:15