Detroit wins Miami Dwyane Wade-less

Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and the Detroit Pistons staved off elimination with a convincing 91-66 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Hamilton dished out six assists and grabbed six rebounds as Detroit took advantage of a Dwyane Wade-less squad to even the best-of-seven series at three games apiece. The scene now shifts back to South Beach, where the deciding Game 7 will take place on Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"It’s win or go home right now," Hamilton said. "We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of poise."

Tayshaun Prince added 16 points and nine rebounds for the defending champions, while Chauncey Billups chipped in 14 points in the big win.

Wade missed the game because of a strained rib sustained in Miami’s Game 5 win on Thursday. He participated in Saturday’s pre-game warm-ups, but couldn’t shake the rib problem. Rasual Butler took his place and contributed 13 points for the Heat, who compiled a franchise playoff low 66 points. The previous low was 68 points versus the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 conference finals.

Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Miami. Keyon Dooling had 10 points in the losing effort and Miami committed 19 turnovers to just six for the Pistons.

"We did not attack very well and we turned the ball over too much," Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy said after the game. "They dominated us tonight period. They dominated us."

Leading 44-32 at halftime, the Pistons picked up right where they left off and made it 58-36 on Hamilton’s basket minutes into the third quarter. He later sank two free throws with 2:35 left and made a nice dish to Ben Wallace, whose dunk opened a 65-45 advantage.

Hamilton kept handing out points and his alley-oop to Lindsay Hunter pushed the lead to 22. Detroit then carried a comfortable 68-45 lead into the final quarter thanks to a 9-0 period-ending run.

A basket by Antonio McDyess early in the fourth quarter staked Detroit to a 77-49 lead and the rout was on. After O’Neal failed to convert a three-point play, Billups nailed a three on the other end and the Heat were peering down a huge hole at 80-51.

Miami had nothing up its sleeve and will have to regroup for Monday’s Game 7. The winner of Monday’s game will meet the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

"You play all year to have Game 7 on your floor," Van Gundy added. "Game 7s are great."

The first quarter started slow and Miami grabbed a 12-10 lead on an O’Neal jumper with five minutes remaining. After 12 monotonous minutes, the Pistons led by a 17-16 score. O’Neal had seven points in the opening quarter.

Detroit came alive in the second stanza and used a 13-0 run for a 32-20 cushion. Hunter’s 15-foot jumper ended the surge with 5:17 left. Miami turned up the heat and trimmed the lead to 34-32 on Butler’s three with 2 1/2 minutes to go, but the Pistons pumped again.

The defending champs grabbed some breathing room just before halftime and made it 44-32 thanks to a 10-0 burst culminated by a Rasheed Wallace three-pointer. Miami managed just three points in the last 3:13 of the first half. Hamilton led all scorers at the break with 16 points, while O’Neal netted 11 points.