NBA Game Summary - Miami at Detroit

Auburn Hills, MI (Basketball News) - Richard Hamilton scored 28 points with eight assists, and the Detroit Pistons tied the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece with a decisive 106-96 victory over Miami on Tuesday night.

Rasheed Wallace added 20 points for the Pistons, who rebounded from consecutive losses to even the best-of-seven series with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday in Miami.

The Pistons never trailed after taking a 16-14 lead late in the first quarter. They committed just six turnovers in the game — all in the second half.

"We came in very focused," said guard Chauncey Billups, who scored 17 points with seven assists. "We knew our back was against the wall. That’s when we’re at our best, and that’s what you saw tonight."

Dwyane Wade scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Heat. Shaquille O’Neal, still playing through his thigh bruise, added 12 points in just 25 minutes while battling foul trouble.

Miami lost for the first time in six road games this postseason.

The Pistons built a 60-46 halftime lead, shooting better than 52 percent with 17 assists on their 22 field goals.

And with all that giving going on, never once did Larry Brown’s team turn the ball over — not out of bounds, not on a double dribble and certainly not on an errant pass.

"I think we play our best when we share the ball," said Brown, who vehemently denied reports before the game that he had already accepted a job to become president of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"To their credit, they executed great in all three [previous] games. Tonight we just took care of the ball the whole game, and that was the key."

The Heat remained within striking distance in the first half until a 10-0 run in the second quarter — capped by Lindsey Hunter’s free throws at 1:38 — gave Detroit a 56-42 lead.

Hamilton led all players with 19 first half points on 7-of-11 shooting. He locked down on Wade at the other end as well, holding the Miami guard to 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting in the half.

"The kid’s a great, great player and you can never give him the same look," Brown said of Wade.

O’Neal committed three fouls and played just eight minutes in the first half, scoring seven points.

The Heat shot 10-of-23 in the third quarter to pull within 79-69 heading into the fourth. Detroit committed its first turnover when Wallace was called for an offensive foul with 7:24 remaining in the period.

"We’re not a team that forces turnovers. That’s not our game," said Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy. "At the same time, I give them a lot of credit."

The Pistons led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter when an Antonio McDyess bucket made it 93-76 midway through. Miami was never closer than eight points the rest of the way — and that came in the final minute of play.

Ben Wallace had a game-high 15 rebounds for the Pistons while scoring just four points on 2-of-11 shooting. Tayshaun Price added 15 points in the win.

Udonis Haslem had 14 points for the Heat after scoring no more than six in the previous three games. Eddie Jones and Keyon Dooling chipped in 11 points apiece in the loss, with Jones pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds.