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Hobbled Heat sneak past Pistons

Jan 29, 2011 - 3:57 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Eddie House drained the go-ahead free throws with 6.5 seconds left in regulation, as the short-handed Heat snuck by the Pistons, 88-87, despite Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh having to watch from the sideline.

A tight contest fittingly came down to the final minute.

Austin Daye drilled a three-pointer to give Detroit an 87-86 lead, and after unsuccessful possessions from both teams, House got in the lane and was fouled by Ben Gordon, resulting in the go-ahead points in the closing seconds.

"It felt like when I was 10 years old and I used to imagine the same situation," recalled House. "You've been doing it forever...No pressure; you just go up there and knock them down."

Detroit called timeout and drew up a perfect alley-oop off the inbounds pass for Daye, but the second-year pro couldn't get it to fall as he was challenged by James Jones at the rim.

"It was a good designed play, I just missed it," Daye admitted. "It was a rough ending to a good game."

With Wade (wrist) and Bosh (ankle) hobbled, LeBron James picked up the slack with 39 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, leading Miami to just its second win in seven games.

Gordon and Daye finished with 21 and 19 points, respectively, in the loss, the Pistons' second straight and fourth in six games.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. Miami made just 1-of-14 attempts from behind the arc, and the Pistons hit just 33.3 percent overall, though they still led, 42-39, at halftime.

Detroit never trailed in the third and took a 68-64 advantage into the final 12 minutes.

The visitors continued to play front-runner until James' three-pointer with three minutes remaining gave the Heat an 83-82 cushion.

Game Notes

The Pistons have lost seven of their last eight meetings with the Heat...House finished with 15 points off the bench, while Mike Miller, starting in place of Wade, logged 12 points and 10 rebounds for Miami...Tracy McGrady tallied 14 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Pistons...Miami ended 5-of-24 from three-point range.