Pistons topple Miami

Chauncey Billups had 24 points and 10 assists, and the Detroit Pistons rallied past the Miami Heat 82-73 Wednesday night at Auburn Hills, Mich., in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Shaquille O’Neal (thumb) returned to the Miami lineup after sitting out Tuesday’s loss in Minnesota, but the Heat lost his backup, Alonzo Mourning, to a calf strain in the second quarter. O’Neal played a season-high 43 minutes, scoring 27 points.

Detroit has won 16 straight at home, five short of the team record. The Pistons also clinched the outright Central Division title.

Cavaliers 120, Bobcats 118 (OT): At Cleveland, LeBron James hit the first game-winning shot of his career with 0.9 seconds left in overtime, finishing with 37 points and his ninth career triple-double in Cleveland’s win over Charlotte.

Nuggets 104, Spurs 92: At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 12 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and Denver ended San Antonio’s five-game winning streak.

Lakers 87, Kings 80: At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored six of his 28 points in the last 3 minutes, Kwame Brown had a season-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Los Angeles beat Sacramento.

76ers 115, Hawks 106: At Philadelphia, Allen Iverson scored 29 points in his return to the lineup from a bruised and sprained foot, Kyle Korver had 23 and Chris Webber 21 as Philadelphia defeated Atlanta to snap a four-game losing streak.

Pacers 95, Bulls 85: At Indianapolis, Jermaine O’Neal scored 16 points in his first game in two months because of a torn left groin, Stephen Jackson had 12 of his 24 in the fourth quarter, and Indiana beat Chicago.

Celtics 110, Raptors 96: Paul Pierce scored 32 points as Boston defeated Toronto for the eighth consecutive time at Boston.

Magic 111, Knicks 87: At Orlando, Fla., Dwight Howard had 23 points and seven rebounds, and the Magic rolled over New York.

Off the court

Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire is close to returning from a knee injury that has sidelined him all season, saying there’s an 80 percent chance he’ll play tonight against Portland. … New York Knicks rookie Channing Frye, who has averaged 12.3 points per game, will miss the rest of the season because of a sprained left knee ligament. … Atlanta rookie guard Salim Stoudamire could miss the rest of the season after injuring his elbow against Orlando last weekend.