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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) – Chucky Atkins should have been
enjoying the best night of his NBA career. Instead, he was
wondering how he went from hero to goat with one bad decision.
Atkins scored a career-high 36 points, but his ill-advised
alley-oop pass in the final 90 seconds helped the Miami Heat pull
out a comeback 97-93 win over Atkins and the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit led 84-77 when Atkins stole the ball from Tim Hardaway
and started a fast break. Instead of settling the play down, Atkins
threw a lob pass that Jerry Stackhouse couldn't handle.
Eddie Jones then scored eight points in the final 1:23, sending
the game to overtime, and Miami went on to win in the extra
session.
"It's tough, because I made the mistake that cost us the
game," said Atkins. "I made the steal, and I had a chance to slow
it down and make sure we got a good shot, and instead I threw the
ball away. It was just careless."
Detroit led by 14, 76-62, with less than eight minutes to play,
but couldn't hold the lead.
"We gave an sensational effort for most of the game, but we
made too many mistakes down the stretch," said Pistons coach
George Irvine. "A fast-break lob in that situation is a ridiculous
play. If we make a smart play there, we win the game."
With Stackhouse suffering through a 4-for-21 shooting night, the
Heat knew what they had to do in overtime.
"We wanted to play defense and make sure Chucky didn't get back
into his rhythm," Hardaway said. "He was the only one making
shots."
Neither team scored in the first 90 seconds of overtime, then
Billy Owens and Dan Majerle traded jumpers.
After two free throws by Stackhouse, Majerle's 3-pointer gave
Miami its first lead of the game, 90-89. Atkins put Detroit back in
front with a jumper, but Anthony Mason answered with a three-point
play to make it 93-91.
Stackhouse's shot was blocked by Mason and Tim Hardaway hit a
jumper to move the margin to four with 24 seconds to play.
"We were doing everything possible to get absolutely blown out
of that game," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "But we had about a
four- or five-minute stretch of good defense that got us back into
the game, and then we hit some big shots to win it."
Hardaway had 17 points for Miami, while Mason added 14 points
and 18 rebounds.
Stackhouse had 21 for Detroit, while Ben Wallace had 20
rebounds.
"This was one more game that we had won and let get away in the
fourth quarter," Stackhouse said about the Pistons' fourth loss in
a row. "Everyone knows we had this game won, and we let it get
away."
Atkins started his run early in the third, scoring 10 points in
a 12-3 run that gave Detroit a 57-46 lead late in the period.
Atkins and Stackhouse scored Detroit's first 17 points of the
quarter.
Atkins finished with 15 in the quarter, and Detroit led by as
many as 17 before the Heat pulled to 68-54 at period's end.
After Anthony Mason missed two free throws with eight minutes
left, Atkins hit his third 3-pointer of the game, increasing the
Pistons' lead to 76-62.
Miami then went on a 7-0 run to get within seven, and only
Atkins kept them at bay. His layup with 2:46 to go moved Detroit's
lead back to two possessions, 81-76, and after a Mason free throw,
Atkins appeared to put the game away with yet another 3.
But two 3-pointers by Jones made the lead just 85-83, and when
Atkins missed, Hardaway missed a 3-pointer but Jones got the
rebound and was fouled by Stackhouse.
He made both free throws, tying the game with 11 seconds to go.
Detroit had two shots to win the game, but Joe Smith and Owens
both missed jumpers.
"I saw we were down 14 in the fourth quarter, and I knew we had
to just do whatever it took to get back in the game," Jones said.
"The guys got me the ball, and I was just shooting it. I felt
good, and if the shot was open, I was just going to take it."
Game notes
Detroit's Corliss Williamson missed the game with the flu.
... Detroit guard Dana Barros left the game in the first half with
a sore left knee and did not return. ... Detroit got a scare when
referee Blaine Reichelt inadvertantly hit Jerry Stackhouse in the
nose solidly with his elbow. Stackhouse had to check his nose for
blood, but stayed in the game. ... The win extended Miami's winning
streak over Detroit to six games, including a three-game sweep in
last season's playoffs. ... Atkins' previous high of 26 points was
set on Dec. 30, also in an overtime loss to Miami at the Palace.
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