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Pistons-Heat: 56k | 300k Nestlé Crunch Time: Hamilton 56k | 300k |
Billups managed just five points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half but bounced back in the final 29 minutes. He scored eight points in the third quarter, six in the fourth and opened overtime with consecutive baskets.
"I stayed as aggressive as I was in the second half, trying to get it to the rack," Billups said.
Detroit had a 100-96 edge with 2:42 left after Billups made an acrobatic layup and a jumper 61 seconds apart. Miami's Lamar Odom responded with a hook shot before Caron Butler buried a game-tying layup with 34 seconds to go.
Detroit answered with Hamilton, who came off a double-screen, took a pass from Billups and buried a 12-foot jumper from the left wing.
"It was a shot that was given to me," Hamilton said. "They were giving wide-open shots to my teammates. So on the last one they weren't ready for it because they think I was going to drive, so I figured I'd just shoot."
After Miami thought forward Udonis Haslem was fouled driving to the basket, the Heat had to settle for a long jumper from Rafer Alston that bounced high off the front of the rim as time expired.
"I'll take the blame on that," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said. "With a young team and diagramming a play that you've never run, we should've probably run something we've worked on."
"We were trying to get a shot for myself or Lamar," said Heat guard Eddie Jones, who had 19 points. "They denied it and we didn't get the shot we wanted. I thought we got a pretty good shot at it even thought it wasn't the play we actually drew up."
Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 24 points and Hamilton finished with 17 for the Pistons, who have won four consecutive games and 17 of 20.
All-Star Ben Wallace had 12 rebounds and one spectacular block. He had his back turned when Odom tried to make a layup late in the fourth quarter but spun and blocked the shot without looking.
"I just wanted to get up and contest the shot," he said. "He turned, the ball just fell into my hands and it gave me a block."
Odom collected 18 and 14 rebounds for Miami, which had a four-game home winning streak snapped despite having six players in double figures.
The Heat played the final 7 1/2 minutes without rookie Dwyane Wade, who scored 17 points but left with 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter after turning his right ankle.
Detroit's Corliss Williams scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a layup that gave the Pistons a 96-94 edge with 68 seconds left in regulation. Detroit had a chance to extend the lead but missed four shots on its next possession, including three by Wallace, who was 2-of-8 from the floor.
Butler buried a pair of free throws with 16.4 seconds left to forge a tie and Billups missed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle as time expired.
