MIAMI _ After being a defensive no-show for most of tonight, the Detroit Pistons played just enough defense in the second half to avoid their most embarrassing loss of the season.
The Pistons (16-20) held the Miami Heat scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the fourth quarter and were able to hold on for a much-needed 107-98 victory at American Airlines Arena.
The Heat _ missing regulars Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow _ scored at will in a first half where they shot 65 percent in taking a 66-58 lead into halftime.
But the Pistons held the Heat to 32 points in the second half.
Reggie Jackson's late triple with 37.2 seconds left gave the Pistons a 106-96 lead. Jackson held his shooting pose as the Heat called time-out.
Jackson's 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting marks his best game since he returned to the lineup after missing the first 21 games because of left knee tendinitis.
The Pistons took an 85-81 lead into the fourth quarter after a 21-8 run to close the third. The Heat's largest lead was 14 points.
Andre Drummond finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half.
James Johnson scored 20 and Wayne Ellington added 18 for the Heat.
You could tell the Pistons defensive effort was somewhere on South Beach at the start of the game.
The Heat made its first eight shots in taking 20-9 lead.
The early lead swelled to 32-19 after an Ellington jumper at the 3:12 mark.
The Pistons bench fueled a 9-0 run that Harris completed with two free throws at the 1:02 mark, cutting the deficit to four at 32-28.
But the Heat took a 37-33 lead after shooting 68.2 percent in the first quarter.
The Heat barrage continued in the second quarter from three-point range and they finished the first half at 10-for-15 in taking a 66-58 lead into halftime.
Jackson scored 16 points in the first half to keep the Pistons in the same zip code.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy called three time-outs in the first half and was very animated in the second one.
He was wary of the short-handed Heat before the game.
"I know this about (Erik Spoelstra's) teams, it's that they're going to play really hard," Van Gundy said. "I also know in this league that when other guys get opportunities to have the ball in their hands, it's a dangerous thing."
