Pistons Hand Heat Another Defeat

The Detroit Pistons survived another frantic, late rally by the Miami Heat -- and moved a big step closer to securing home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

Rasheed Wallace returned from his one-game suspension to score 20 points, Tayshaun Prince added 20 more and Richard Hamilton scored 19 as the Pistons saw most of a 12-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate before beating the injury-depleted Heat, 95-82, Thursday night at Miami.

Detroit (61-14) won its sixth in a row and moved three games ahead of San Antonio in the race for the NBA’s best record -- the only major piece of regular-season business that remains for the Pistons, who need only three more wins to set a franchise single-season record.

Dwyane Wade had 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Shaquille O’Neal scored 28 for Miami, which played without injured starters James Posey and Jason Williams, plus top reserve Alonzo Mourning.

Detroit won the season series, 3-1, over the team it beat in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, and has won nine of 14 matchups between the clubs since the start of last season.

Miami (49-26) lost for the fifth time in nine games, and saw its edge for the East’s second-best record shrink to 2 1/2 games over New Jersey, which beat Charlotte.

New Jersey 113, Charlotte 102 -- Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 40 points, Jason Kidd had his 74th triple-double, and the Nets extended the longest winning streak in the NBA this season to 14 by beating the Bobcats at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Nets also matched the longest winning streak in franchise history, having won 14 in a row from Jan. 25 to Feb. 24, 2004. They were tied with Dallas for the league’s longest winning streak.

Kidd finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, moving to within four triple-doubles of Wilt Chamberlain for third place on the career list.