Caldwell-Pope's Jumper Lifts Pistons Past Heat, 93-92
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MIAMI (AP) — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's jumper with 55.5 seconds left put Detroit ahead to stay, and the Pistons came back from 18 points down to beat the Miami Heat 93-92 on Tuesday night.
Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 18 points, while Stanley Johnson and Caldwell-Pope each added 14 for Detroit. The Pistons were 15 for 29 from 3-point range, outscoring Miami 45-12 in that department.
Chris Bosh scored 20 points for Miami, which missed a pair of go-ahead shots in the final three seconds. Dwyane Wade missed a 14-footer, and after Andre Drummond missed a pair of free throws at the other end and the Heat got the ball back with 1.1 seconds left, Bosh missed a jumper as time expired.
Wade finished with 19, Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Beno Udrih — starting in place of the injured Goran Dragic — scored 14 for Miami.
Caldwell-Pope put the Pistons up 91-89 with 2 minutes left on a 3-pointer. The lead changed hands three times from there, but the Heat didn't score in the game's final 1:18.
Miami led 34-18 after the first quarter, then pushed the lead to 18 early in the second — and trailed at halftime after a Detroit barrage of 3-pointers, mostly from backups.
Johnson made four 3s in the half, Blake and Anthony Tolliver made two more apiece before the break and the Pistons took a 54-52 edge into the locker room. Detroit scored 36 points in the second quarter, matching its output in the first and third quarters combined.
And when Miami went up by seven early in the fourth, Blake and Tolliver combined for three more 3s to keep Detroit close and start what would become the game-winning rally.
TIP-INS
Pistons: PG Brandon Jennings was active for the first time since tearing his left Achilles in Milwaukee on Jan. 24. As planned, he didn't play, still the third point guard for now behind Jackson and Steve Blake. ... Detroit became the sixth team to make 10 3-pointers in a first half this season. It was the Pistons' most in a first half since they made 11 on April 26, 2012, against Philadelphia. ... The Pistons had five shots on one possession early in the third, and a four-shot possession late in the second.
Heat: Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo sat opposite the Heat bench. ... Whiteside made his first two shots, giving him a string of 10 consecutive makes after going 8 for 8 in the second half against Portland on Sunday. ... Going back to March 10, 2012, Miami has made at least one 3-pointer in 300 consecutive regular-season games. ... Miami is now 8-10 against East teams. ... Justise Winslow had a steal and spectacular dunk over Ersan Ilyasova late in the third, tying it at 70.
DRAGIC OUT
Dragic has a variety of ailments, including a sore left calf and achy right thumb — he's played through both — and now a troublesome left wrist that kept him out of the game. He was ruled out about 45 minutes before tip-off, forced to sit for the first time this season. He'll be evaluated again before Miami's Christmas Day game against New Orleans.
HARDAWAY RETURNS
Tim Hardaway's No. 10 jersey is one of two Heat numbers retired and swaying from the rafters, over the visitors' bench. Hardaway essentially sat underneath it Tuesday, now that he's a Detroit assistant. "Clearly he has a lot of credibility with guys," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's not often that you walk into an arena and see one of your coaches' numbers hanging up there."
UP NEXT
Pistons: Visit Atlanta on Wednesday.
Heat: Host New Orleans on Friday.
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