NBA Game Summary - Detroit at Miami

Miami, FL (Basketball News) - Dwyane Wade scored 12 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter, as the Miami Heat topped the Detroit Pistons, 89-78, to take a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Shaquille O’Neal gave Wade plenty of support with 21 points and nine rebounds, as the dynamic duo combined to shoot 16-of-23 from the field to give Miami a 3-1 advantage in the series.

Udonis Haslem tallied 16 points for the Heat, who are one victory away from their first trip to the NBA Finals. Pat Riley’s group can make that a reality with a win in Game 5 of the series Wednesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Miami shot 54.9 percent from the field, despite a franchise-low 51 attempts, but frustrated the Pistons, especially forward Rasheed Wallace, into several poor shots.

The Heat made 28-of-47 foul shots, but Wade went 15-of-19 at the charity stripe.

Wallace ended with 12 points before fouling out with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. Tayshaun Prince had 15 points to pace the Pistons, who shot 39 percent. Chauncey Billups finished with 14 points and seven assists, while Richard Hamilton was limited to 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

The Heat lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 East finals and were beaten by Detroit in their only other trip to the conference finals, in seven games last year. The Pistons rallied from a 3-2 deficit to win that series, and now have their backs to the wall again.

Wade continued to show his postseason toughness, making an acrobatic shot in the lane while falling to the floor on a foul. He completed the three-point play to boost the Heat to a 65-61 lead, 56 seconds into the fourth.

Miami started to pull away with a 10-2 spurt later in the quarter, with O’Neal’s hook shot moving the Heat to a 79-67 cushion with nearly five minutes left.

Wade and Gary Payton then combined to deliver the knockout punch. Wade passed the ball from the top of the circle to Payton, who drilled a three from the left wing to extend the Heat to an 85-71 margin with just over three minutes remaining.

The Heat shot 57 percent in the opening quarter, with Wade netting eight of those first-period points. Seven straight points extended the Heat to a 20-12 lead and they were in front 23-17 after 12 minutes.

The Pistons fell behind by as many as 14 points in the second at 42-28, but then rallied by scoring 10 of the final 12 in the half. Wade had 16 points at the break in Miami’s 44-38 lead. The 7-foot-1 O’Neal blocked a shot and went coast-to-coast for a layup during the spurt, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Billups scored six straight points during an 8-0 Detroit run early in the third, as the Pistons tied the game at 46. Detroit finally went back in front at 54-53 on a Wallace dunk, and his three-pointer extended the margin to 57-53 with just over five minutes remaining in the third.

However, O’Neal countered with an alley-oop and turned that into a three-point play. Three free throws by O’Neal put the Heat back in front, 59-57, and Miami held a slim 62-60 edge going into the fourth.