O’Neal saves day for Heat

Shaquille O’Neal helped Miami build a 22-point lead. And when the Heat blew it, he delivered the go-ahead dunk in the final minute to beat the Detroit Pistons.

O’Neal had 31 points and 15 rebounds, both season highs, and the Heat earned their most impressive win yet since losing Dwyane Wade, edging the Pistons, 85-82, Friday night at Miami.

“Dwyane was our first option because of the things he could do, but he’s not here now,” O’Neal said. “So now it’s back to me being the first option.”

The Pistons rallied from a 50-28 deficit to take their first lead with 3:14 left. But O’Neal’s dunk with 36 seconds to go put the Heat ahead to stay, 82-80.

Detroit missed three three-point shots in the final 20 seconds that would have tied the score, including one by Chauncey Billups, who made only two of 14 shots. He missed 11 consecutive shots before scoring his first basket with five minutes left.

Antoine Walker scored 22 points for Miami. Tayshaun Prince had 22 and Richard Hamilton 20 for the Pistons, who failed to overcome a season-low 31 points in the first half.

The Heat improved to 3-2 since Wade was sidelined because of a dislocated left shoulder. Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace sat out because a sprained left foot.

By taking the rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, the Heat extended its season-high home winning streak to eight games, while ending Detroit’s four-game winning streak.

New York 106, Golden State 97 -- Stephon Marbury scored 34 points and Quentin Richardson had 30 to lead the Knicks to their seventh consecutive victory at Madison Square Garden.

New York played without starting guard Jamal Crawford, who had ankle surgery Friday, plus reserves David Lee (ankle) and Nate Robinson (stomach virus). The Warriors, who have lost six in a row on the road, are 1-5 since the All-Star break.

Philadelphia 117, Memphis 112 -- In a matchup of teams vying for more pingpong balls in the draft lottery, the Grizzlies improved their chances by losing at Philadelphia in overtime.

Pau Gasol had 31 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have the worst record in the NBA (15-45). The 76ers (21-38), third-worst ahead of Boston, tied a season high with their third straight victory.

Milwaukee 94, Toronto 81 -- The Raptors cut the Bucks’ lead to six with 8:12 left at Toronto, but the Bucks followed with a 9-0 run highlighted by Michael Redd’s three-point basket and layup. Redd finished with 21 points. The Bucks went 3-17 with him out of the lineup because of an injured knee.

Washington 93, Atlanta 92 -- The Wizards prevented their first five-game losing streak of the season with the win at Atlanta. Antawn Jamison, who was sidelined 12 games after spraining his left knee Jan. 30 against Detroit, scored 22 points for the Wizards, who have won 10 of their last 11 against the Hawks.

Utah 109, Minnesota 83 -- The Jazz has won three consecutive road games and four of five overall to widen the gap in the Northwest Division over the third-place Timberwolves to 13 games.

Utah’s subs outscored their counterparts, 51-23. Minnesota failed to get a point from its subs until Marko Jaric scored on a layup with 1:31 left in the third quarter.

San Antonio 98, Orlando 74 -- Manu Ginobili made six three-point baskets and finished with 31 points to lead the Spurs at San Antonio. He had 16 points and five three-point baskets in the third quarter for the Spurs, who extended their season-high winning streak to seven.

Chicago 104, New Orleans 93 -- The Bulls outscored the Knicks, 21-5, over the final 7:10 at Chicago on the way to their fifth win in seven games. The Hornets went on a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter to take an 88-83 lead, but the Bulls took control after that, scoring nine in a row.

Phoenix 115, Indiana 90 -- The Suns easily overcame the absence of injured Shawn Marion at Phoenix to beat the Pacers for the second time in four days. Eric Piatkowski, who had played only seven minutes all season for Phoenix, was on the court for 22. He scored 11 points.

Houston 108, Denver 97 -- Tracy McGrady scored 28 points and Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 22 rebounds for the Rockets, who built an 18-point lead in the third quarter at Denver. The closest the Nuggets got was 11 points.