Committing 19 turnovers and shooting 26.3 percent on free throws is hardly the recipe for NBA success.
Yet the Heat nearly survived both realities, leading Detroit by five in the fourth quarter Friday, before succumbing 98-93 at Little Caesar’s Arena.
Down by 14 at halftime and playing without leading scorer Josh Richardson (who was ill), the Heat staged a furious second-half rally, fueled in part by Tyler Johnson, who scored 11 of his 16 in the third quarter and Dwyane Wade, who was brilliant late but missed a potential game-tying three.
After a Wade layup pulled Miami to within 92-91 with 41 seconds left, the Pistons got three offensive rebounds, with Zaza Pachulia tipping in the final one to put Detroit up three with 26 seconds to go.