With the loss and a Pacers win, the Pistons have clinched the eighth seed for the playoffs.
This game was close all the way. Neither team pulled away from one another until the midway through the fourth, as Miami made enough buckets down the stretch. Dragic in particular made some big shots in the fourth, and Joe Johnson drained consecutive threes to pull away.
Reggie Jackson didn’t play tonight, so the Pistons didn’t have their best squad on the floor. Detroit did well on the offensive glass but struggled defensively, as Miami shot 48 percent from the field.