Mourning, Heat Get to the Point

Even center Alonzo Mourning took a turn Saturday filling in for injured point guard Tim Hardaway.

Standing at the top of the key, the 6-foot-10 Mourning put the ball on the floor, drove around Mikki Moore and made a dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.

An audition to play point guard?

“Nah,” Mourning said, laughing. “That’s not what I get paid to do.”

But thanks to a collective effort led by Mourning and Jamal Mashburn, the Miami Heat didn’t miss Hardaway much in its playoff opener, beating the Detroit Pistons, 95-85.

Mourning nearly had a triple-double with 20 points, nine rebounds and a Heat playoff-record nine blocked shots. Mashburn had the best playoff game of his seven-season career with 29 points and five assists.

Dan Majerle had his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds and rookie Anthony Carter had 10 points, seven assists and four steals as a replacement for Hardaway, who sat out because of a sore foot.

“We had some great performances,” said Coach Pat Riley, who got his 150th playoff victory. “It’s a good way for us to start.”

Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Tuesday.

The Pistons had said they liked having to start the playoffs in Miami, but they hardly looked at home against the Heat. Grant Hill scored only 13 points, had six turnovers and was clearly affected by a bone bruise in his left foot.

Jerry Stackhouse led Detroit with 23 points and exchanged words with Heat players after the game.