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Monday, Mar. 5 7:30pm ET
Heat's Jones out at least a week

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MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Heat made another move up the standings, but this time they weren't in the mood for celebrating.

Eddie Jones
The Heat survived without Eddie Jones, who went down with a shoulder injury in the second quarter.
Brian Grant scored 20 points and Dan Majerle made a 3-pointer in the final seconds as the Heat overcame the loss of guard Eddie Jones to defeat the Detroit Pistons 87-84 Monday night.

The Heat won their third straight game and for the fifth time in six games, but it wasn't easy -- or without casualties.

Jones, the cornerstone of a blockbuster trade with the Hornets last summer, dislocated his left shoulder in the second quarter and was taken off on a stretcher. Jones' shoulder will be immobilized for 7-10 days. He will be re-evaluated at that time, a team spokesman said Tuesday.

Jones was injured when he stuck his arm out, trying to strip the ball from Corliss Williamson. After Jones was taken off on a stretcher, doctors could not pop his shoulder back into place.

The Heat, who moved two games ahead of the idle Knicks for third place in the East, turned to other players for scoring.

Anthony Mason scored 16 points and added 19 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway scored 16 points as the Heat moved 13 games above .500.

Majerle, who scored a season-high 12 points, made a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and Miami clinging to an 82-81 lead with 14.3 seconds left. The Pistons answered with a 3-pointer from Jerry Stackhouse with 7.1 seconds left.

Hardaway hit a pair of free throws with 6.0 seconds left to give Miami an 87-84 lead. It was Hardaway's first points since the 9:22 mark of the third quarter.

Stackhouse's shot at the buzzer, which would have counted for two points, rimmed out.

As relieved as they were after winning the game, Heat players were more concerned about the possible long-term loss of Jones, their leading scorer.

"We're all feeling bad for Eddie," Grant said. "He's had a few little bumps and bruises this year, like all of us, but when we saw him go down and then carried off, we were all concenred."

Added Hardaway: "I didn't know what was going on at first. I saw this big crowd behind the bench and I thought a fight had broken out."

The Pistons closed from an eight-point gap at the start of the fourth quarter within one on Stackhouse's 3-pointer late in the game, but it wasn't enough.

"We played as hard as we possibly could," Pistons coach George Irvine said. "We played as hard as Miami. You're here to compete, and we did that. We hung in the game and were with them all the way to the end.

"We just didn't get it done. We had some crucial turnovers and some breakdowns, but that happens."

The Heat completed a four-game sweep of the season series, with two of the wins coming in overtime. It's Miami's first sweep of Detroit since 1996-97.

Stackhouse scored 32 points for Detroit, although he also committed a season-high 11 turnovers.

Williamson added 17 for the Pistons, who have lost five of their last six.

"I'm disappointed that we lost, but I'm not upset about this one because everyone competed and played hard," Stackhouse said. "We gave a great effort; we just came up short. It came down to them having the last chance to get a great play."

Game notes
Miami's Anthony Carter was called for a flagrant foul when he grabbed Stackhouse on a breakaway in the second quarter. Stackhouse turned it into a five-point trip, sinking the two free throws and adding a 3-pointer off the inbound pass. ...Detroit activated Jud Buechler before the game while placing rookie Brian Cardinal (tendinitis in his knees) on the injured list. Buechler was placed on the IL with back spasms on Feb. 22. ...The Heat are 20-8 at home and 13 games above .500. ...Former Pistons and Heat coach Ron Rothstein was pressed into broadcast work for the Pistons because Kelly Tripuka was snowed in. Rothstein is the head coach of the WNBA's Miami Sol. ...The Pistons haven't won two in a row since Feb. 3 and 6. ...Ben Wallace has led the Pistons in rebounding seven straight games.

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Heat's Jones dislocates shoulder against Pistons


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AUDIO/VIDEO
audio
 Pat Riley explains the extent of Eddie Jones' shoulder injury.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Tim Hardaway says the loss of Eddie Jones is a big one for the Heat.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6


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