Heat escapes by beating the Pistons 88-87

Eddie House hit two deciding free throws with 6.5 seconds left, LeBron James led all scorers with 39 points and Daye missed a contested dunk off a lob on the final play as the Heat rallied late to beat the Pistons 88-87.

James finished with nine assists and eight rebounds for the Heat, who played without Chris Bosh (ankle) and Dwyane Wade (wrist) and trailed by 10 late in the third quarter. House scored 15 points and Mike Miller added 12 for Miami, which had lost five of its last six games but remained tied with Chicago (32-14) for second in the Eastern Conference.

The win, combined with Boston’s loss in Phoenix, drew Miami within three games of the Celtics in the East race.

Wade was a very late scratch, his status not announced until about 15 minutes before tip-off. He will have an MRI exam on his wrist Saturday.

Ben Gordon scored 21 points for Detroit, which trailed for less than 9 minutes in the game. Daye’s dunk attempt was set up by Tayshaun Prince’s lob on an inbounds play, but replays indicated the slam try simply skipped off the rim.