[Truthseeker83]

Miami Strikes Back
Heat Edge Pistons 99-95



F Darius Knight watches in disgust as the hated Heat jog away with the win.



Feb. 2, 2014 - When the Detroit Pistons face the Miami Heat, two things are known about the matchup in advance. First, it will be a physical, intense game. And second, the game won't be decided until the final seconds.

Both of those assumptions proved correct yet again on Sunday night when the Heat edged out the Pistons 99-94 and moved to within two and a half games of the East's number one seed.

All-Star Darius Knight did his best to once again will his team to victory over the hated Heat, dropping 38 points, including a pair of 3 pointers in the last ten seconds drawing the Pistons to within 2 with .5 seconds remaining. But Dwyane Wade calmly knocked down a pair of free throws and sealed the win for Miami.

F Andrea Bargnani made a solid contribution with 20 points and 4 rebounds, while second year center Marcus Buchanan had a fine showing with 14 points, 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals.

For the Heat, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade contributed 25 and 21 points respectively, while Chris Bosh contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds.

"This is always an intense game," said Darius Knight at his locker after the game, visibly upset with the outcome. "You know you're gonna be in a battle when the Heat come to town. But it doesn't make losing to them any easier. We have to find a way to pull out these games....," he said while his staring at the wall, his voice trailing off.

These Pistons genuinely dislike the defending champion Heat, a hatred borne out of last season's disappointing series loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, and it shows.

"This one's hard to swallow," said guard Andre Iguodala. "But it's just one regular season game, and we'll see these guys one more time before the playoffs."

The season series stands at 2-1 between the two clubs.

Up Next: The Pistons take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Palace on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

Be sure to check pistonpower.com daily for all the latest news and analysis on your Detroit Pistons!

Miami Heat (33-15) @ Detroit Pistons (36-13)

Feb 1, 2014 1 2 3 4 OT Final Heat 23 23 27 26 - 99 Pistons 20 27 23 25 - 95 Top Performers Miami Heat F LeBron James - 25 pts (11-18 fg, 0-2 3pt, 3-3 ft), 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl G Dwyane Wade - 21 pts (7-13 fg, 1-5 3pt, 6-7 ft), 6 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl Detroit Pistons F Darius Knight - 38 pts (15-29 fg, 6-11 fg, 2-2 ft), 6 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl F Andrea Bargnani - 20 pts (8-16 fg, 4-8 3pt), 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl

Team Stats Comparison MIA DET FG Made-Att 40-68 40-74 3PT Made-Att 5-12 13-31 FT Made-Att 14-18 2-2 Rebounds 38 29 Assists 21 19 Turnovers 11 9 Steals 9 10 Blocks 0 2 Fast Break Points 10 2