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Heat vie to bounce back at home vs. Pistons

Jan 28, 2011 - 4:24 PM (Sports Network) - Miami hopes to right the ship Friday night when the star- studded Heat play host to the Detroit Pistons.

Just hours after it was announced that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will become the first set of teammates to start for the Eastern Conference All-Star team since Wade and Shaquille O'Neal did it for Miami back in 2007, the Heat lost for the fifth time in six games on Thursday in Madison Square Garden.

Amare Stoudemire scored 24 points and Danilo Gallinari had 20, including a pair of threes down the stretch, in that one as the New York Knicks edged Miami, 93-88.

Wade had 34 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Heat and James scored 24 with 11 boards as New York bounced back from two losses against Miami last month -- a 113-91 drubbing at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 17 and a 106-98 setback in South Beach on Dec. 28.

Wade wore tinted glasses to help alleviate the effect of light on his eyes as he continues to deal with symptoms from the migraine headache that kept him out of Saturday's win over Toronto. The original goggles Wade wanted to wear were ruled illegal by the NBA.

But, while Wade was spectacular from the field for most of the game, shooting 14-of-22, he went just 6-for-14 on free throws and was a non-factor in the fourth quarter, missing all seven of his shots.

"They made the plays to win the game," said Wade.

Heat forward Chris Bosh is expected to miss his fourth straight game tonight with a sprained left ankle.

The Pistons, meanwhile, lost for the first time in three games on Wednesday when ex-Detroit star Chauncey Billups scored 26 and hit four big three- pointers in the final three-plus minutes, helping the Nuggets snap a 14-game road skid against the Pistons with a 109-100 victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Billups, who spent six full seasons with the Pistons, had 14 points in the last quarter, assisting Denver to its first away victory over Detroit since March 10, 1995. The veteran guard finished the game 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Will Bynum scored all but two of his 19 points in the last quarter for the Pistons, who had won their previous two contests. Ben Gordon scored 15, while Tracy McGrady ended with 14 points, eight assists and six boards. Greg Monroe also scored 14 in defeat.

"They have a lot of scoring power," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "I thought we took care of the ball throughout the game, but give them credit, they made some big shots, especially when we made it tight."

The Pistons have lost six of their last seven versus Miami, including a 97-92 setback in South Beach on Dec. 1.