The Miami Heat had little trouble with the Detroit Pistons in their 107-89 win on Tuesday to keep pace in the East.
Miami now sits in a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference and kept up with the Atlanta Hawks who also won. Atlanta is currently the third seed and is a half-game ahead of Miami. The Heat could still finish anywhere from the three-seed to the six-seed, with only five games remaining on the schedule.
The Heat took an 18-point into the locker room at the half and did a solid job of maintaining that advantage. Detroit is currently a playoff team which makes this dominant showing even more impressive for the Heat. The Pistons are unlikely to face the Heat in the playoffs, barring an improbable upset during the first round.
Leading the way for Miami in scoring in the win was Goran Dragic with 22 points. Dragic also contributed eight assists, five rebounds and was a perfect 4-4 on his three-point tries. The guard's line was one of his finest of the season.
Josh Richardson who took home top rookie honors for March earlier in the day, had a solid day as well. The guard gave Miami 16 points of his own to go along with a pair of rebounds. The Heat were +17 with Richardson on the court who is off to a hot start in April.
Dwyane Wade made his return to the lineup after missing a pair of games. The All-Star had 16 points, two assists and two steals.
Miami will host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday and will look to improve its playoff positioning in the first game of a back-to-back.
