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Heat carry win streak into bout with Detroit

Feb 11, 2011 - 4:18 PM (Sports Network) - The surging Miami Heat shoot for an eighth consecutive win Friday when they kick off a four-game road trip by visiting the Detroit Pistons.

The Heat, who are deadlocked with Boston atop the Eastern Conference, earned their seventh consecutive win on Tuesday when LeBron James finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, as Miami pulled off a 117-112 comeback victory against the Indiana Pacers.

The Heat trailed by double digits in the third quarter and by nine early in the fourth, but limited the Pacers to 15 points in the final period.

"We held a very dangerous offensive team to 15 points," said Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra. "That's a good basketball team, and they're playing with a lot of confidence right now."

Chris Bosh ended with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Dwyane Wade added 17 points and seven assists for the Heat. James' performance came five days after he scored 51 in a victory against Orlando.

Miami, which is 18-9 away from South Beach, will also visit the Celtics, Pacers and Toronto on its current trek.

The Pistons, meanwhile, have won three of four after Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points, fellow reserve Will Bynum had 17 and Detroit used a big run in the second half on Wednesday to pull away for a 103-94 victory over Cleveland, running the Cavaliers' NBA-record losing streak to 26 games.

The Pistons' top three scorers all came off the bench, with Charlie Villanueva adding 13 points. Tayshaun Prince was the only starter to crack double digits, scoring 10.

"They played hard tonight," Pistons swingman Tracy McGrady said of the Cavs, "but we needed this win as well."

Miami has won seven of its past eight meetings with Detroit, including a pair of games so far this season in southern Florida.