• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Heat aim to salvage trip finale vs. Pistons

Mar 21, 2009 - 11:19 PM By Brett Huston Stats Writer

Miami (36-32) at Detroit (34-34) 1:00 p.m. EDT

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (AP) -- Poor play on the road may be costing the Miami Heat any chance of earning home-court advantage for the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and if they're not careful, they could fall further down the standings.

If the Detroit Pistons can get healthy, they may have a good shot of moving up.

The injury-ravaged Pistons will likely get Rodney Stuckey back Sunday afternoon but will still be without three of their leading scorers against the Heat, who hope to salvage the finale of a four-game road trip in a building where they've lost six straight.

Miami (36-32) was a half-game behind Atlanta for the fourth seed in the East on March 6, but seven wins in eight games by the Hawks have helped them open a four-game gap thanks to some road losses by the Heat. Miami has won seven of its last eight at home, but has lost the first three games of its four-game road trip.

Following an overtime loss in Boston on Wednesday with Dwyane Wade sidelined due to a hip injury, the NBA's leading scorer returned Friday night in New Jersey. Wade had 27 points but the Nets, missing injured All-Star Devin Harris, handed Miami its fourth consecutive road loss, 96-88.

The Heat are now just 1 1/2 games up on sixth-place Philadelphia and two games ahead of seventh-place Detroit (34-34).

"We understand the position that we are in," Wade said. "Guys have to start playing with a little more urgency."

The team that gets the fifth seed will avoid a first-round matchup with one of the East's three 50-win teams and its likely division winners -- Cleveland, Boston and Orlando. If the Pistons plan to move up to that spot, they'll likely need to get their stars back on the court.

Richard Hamilton is expected to miss his fourth straight game Sunday with a strained groin and Rasheed Wallace will miss his seventh in a row with a calf injury. Those two are expected back within a week, but there is no timetable for the return of Allen Iverson, who has missed Detroit's last 12 games with a sore back.

The Pistons had lost three straight heading into a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, and Stuckey missed that one with flu-like symptoms.

Making his first career start to replace Stuckey, Will Bynum played a key role as Detroit ended its slide. He had a career-high 22 points and six assists and helped the Pistons turn a four-point halftime deficit into a 108-90 rout.

"That's what Will has been doing for us," coach Michael Curry said of Bynum, who's averaged 15.8 points in his last four games. "Will has been breaking guys down and got guys shot opportunities and he was aggressive. I thought his decision making was really good."

Stuckey, though, should be back Sunday. The second-year guard had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 93-90 Pistons home over the Heat on Feb. 4, hitting two key shots down the stretch before Wade's 3-pointer rimmed out as time expired.

It was Miami's sixth consecutive loss at The Palace of Auburn Hills since Dec. 30, 2004. The Heat have lost 11 of 12 in Detroit and nine of the last 11 meetings overall, though they beat the Pistons 103-91 on Feb. 24 in the last matchup as Wade had 31 points and a career-high 16 assists.

Aside from the Wade-Stuckey matchup, the battle down low between Jermaine O'Neal and Antonio McDyess could be crucial. While O'Neal has averaged 20.0 points over his past four contests, McDyess has looked rejuvenated over his last seven games with averages of 16.7 points and 15.9 rebounds.