Final
Heat go for 25 straight against reeling Pistons
Mar 22, 2013 - 2:12 PMVideo
The streak is the second-longest in NBA history and the Heat now trail the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' run by nine games.
Getting No. 24 in a row was perhaps Miami's most impressive victory during the run.
Down by 27 points in the third quarter to LeBron James' old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Heat went on a furious rally, spurred by James, to pull out a 97-85 win at Quicken Loans Arena.
"These are unique days in my career as a professional basketball player," said James. "You know, they came out and jumped all over us, then we came back and went on one of the best runs I've ever been a part of in this sport."
James registered a triple-double with 25 points, including 19 in the second half, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Five other Heat players scored in double figures, led by 17 from Mario Chalmers. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Shane Battier all had 11 and Ray Allen chipped in 10 off the bench.
The Heat return home after a perfect five-game road trip. They play two in a row at home and against inferior competition, although that can be said about almost every team in the league at this point.
After Friday's tilt with the Pistons and Sunday's matchup with the Charlotte Bobcats, the Heat play in Orlando, Chicago, New Orleans and San Antonio.
Before the streak can reach 25, Miami has to deal with a Pistons team on a streak of their own. Unfortunately, Detroit is at the other end of the spectrum, losing nine straight.
Detroit has been off since a Monday home loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The Pistons haven't won in the month of March and have dropped six consecutive home games.
Against the Nets, Brooklyn jumped out early with a 36-23 first-quarter romp. The Nets took the third quarter, 31-14, and polished off a 37-point romp.
Will Bynum paced the Pistons with 18 points off the bench. Greg Monroe added 17 and Rodney Stuckey and Kim English both tallied 10 points.
Lawrence Frank returned to the sidelines for the Pistons on Monday. He had missed the last six games to be with his ailing wife who underwent surgery for an undisclosed illness.
If there is a positive for the Pistons, rookie center Andre Drummond, who has been on the shelf since early February with a back injury, went through a full practice on Thursday. He is still not expected to be back in the lineup on Friday.
"If you had seen practice today, you'd never have known I was hurt," said Drummond.
The Pistons snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Heat with a 109-99 home victory on Dec. 28 of this season, but Miami avenged the loss almost a month later in Miami.
Detroit has dropped seven of its last 10 in South Beach.
- DETROIT: 89
MIAMI: 103
Final
Mar 22 10:00 PM - DETROIT: 68
MIAMI: 73
End of 3rd
Mar 22 9:29 PM - DETROIT: 54
MIAMI: 51
Halftime
Mar 22 8:42 PM - DETROIT: 28
MIAMI: 22
End of 1st
Mar 22 8:08 PM - DETROIT: 0
MIAMI: 0
1st Quarter - 11:41
Mar 22 7:42 PM
Related News
- Shaquille O’Neal To Be First To Have Jersey Retired by Magic Jan 4
- Pistons Lose 28th Straight After Blowing Lead to Celtics Dec 29
- LeBron James Has Been At His Best for Many Birthdays Dec 29
- Pistons vs. Nets GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More Dec 23
- Tom Gores speaks: 6 biggest takeaways from Gores’ sitdown with the media Dec 23
- Pistons vs. Nets preview: The wrong kind of history on the line for Detroit tonight Dec 23
- The Pindown: Losing with Velocity Dec 23
- Pistons lost 25th straight, fans break out in ‘sell the team’ chants Dec 21
- Pistons vs. Jazz GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More Dec 21
- Pistons vs. Jazz preview: Will this be the one? Dec 21
- Submit your questions for The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Dec 19
- Pistons vs. Hawks GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More Dec 18