Detroit (29-33) fell three games behind Miami for the eighth seed following their 115-106 overtime loss at Orlando on Friday night. It was the seventh loss in nine games for the Pistons, who were held to seven points in the final six minutes of regulation and overtime.
Blake Griffin finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 12 points and ten rebounds, but the only offense Detroit mustered in the extra five minutes was a pair of free throws by Anthony Tolliver. Reggie Bullock had 21 points but needed 21 shots to get there as the Pistons also hurt their cause by missing ten of 24 free throws.
Miami (32-30) dropped to 2-1 on their five-game homestand after being run out of American Airlines Arena 131-113 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Dwyane Wade had his second straight strong game off the bench with 25 points, but the bigger starting lineup of Kelly Olynyk and Hassan Whiteside provided no offense as the seven-footers played 32 minutes combined and totaled six points.
It marked just the third time in the past 18 years the Heat yielded 130 or more points in a game as the 59.5 percent shooting by the Lakers was the third-highest mark allowed by Miami this season.
This is the final meeting between the teams, with the Pistons holding a 2-1 lead for the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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