Heat beat Pistons 112-107 in preseason
Miami Heat center Chris Bosh dunks against the Detroit Pistons in the first half of an NBA basketball preseason game on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, in Detroit. AP Photo/Duane Burleson
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Dwyane Wade was back on the court for the Miami Heat.
Wade, who missed the preseason opener saying he was “erring on the side of caution,” played 21 minutes and had eight points and four assists in a 112-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
He didn’t speak to reporters after the game but coach Erik Spoelstra said it wasn’t fear of an injury that kept him out of the opener.
“He’s been practicing the whole time,” he said. “He’s been fine and the explosiveness will come as we go along.”
Chris Bosh scored 28 points for Miami (2-0). James Jones added 12 points and LeBron James and Michael Beasley had nine each for the reigning NBA champions. James had seven assists.
Beasley, signed almost a month ago, made the most of the 9 minutes he played with two rebounds and two steals.
“To play meaningful minutes, it was fun,” he said. “I just wanted to play good defense and let whatever offense there was come to me.”
Will Bynum had 28 points and Andre Drummond added 21 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit (0-1), which committed 23 turnovers.
Beasley scored all of his points late in the third quarter to help the Heat take an 89-79 lead to the final period. The Pistons got close in the final minute and Josh Harrellson almost tied the game with a long heave that rimmed out with .6 seconds left.
Pistons guard Brandon Jennings was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of wisdom tooth discomfort and the team announced before tipoff that guard Rodney Stuckey will be out indefinitely after breaking the bone in the tip of his right thumb.
The team said Stuckey, who will have surgery on the thumb Friday, smashed it Wednesday in the door jamb of his car.
More than 17,000 turned out in suburban Detroit but some of the loudest cheers came when updates of the Detroit Tigers’ performance against Oakland in Game 5 of an American League Division Series were flashed on the videoboards.
