(My Sportsbook) - If the Detroit Pistons could have just defended a pair of rookies named Butler on Tuesday, they likely would have won the game. However, Detroit was unable to put the clamps on Miami's Rasual and Caron Butler and it resulted in a defeat.

The Butler duo lit up the Pistons' tight defense for a combined 38 points en route to an 88-85 Miami win. It wasn't all the Butlers' doing, though, as the Pistons hurt themselves with poor shooting (33.8 percent).

The bench, which had been a consistent force for the Pistons all year, didn't have a single player in double figures in scoring. Miami's bench outscored Detroit's, 32-22, in the winning effort.

"Tonight I thought our starters did a decent job of doing their job; I think our bench got outplayed a little bit," reserve forward Corliss Williamson said. "They were collapsing and tried to force me to make the pass instead of taking the shot. We couldn't get anything going.

"I was confident that if we came in here and played our game we'd have an excellent chance to win this game."

Williamson, typically the team's go-to guy in the late minutes of close tilts, mustered only six points on 2-of-6 shooting. Guard Chucky Atkins led the bench with seven points, while Mehmet Okur had nine rebounds and six points.

"We let them hang around and anytime you let a team hang around they have a chance," said Jon Barry, who took the game's final shot, a try for a triple that came up short.

"We had our opportunities. We had a big second quarter but let them stay close the last two minutes before the half. [Rasual] Butler hits a big three and Mike James makes one with the shot-clock sounding. Those things happen when you let a team hang around."

Richard Hamilton led the way for the Pistons with 24 points, while Chauncey Billups and Clifford Robinson added 18 points apiece in the losing effort. Detroit couldn't get the job done despite the Heat playing without leading scorer Eddie Jones.

"I guess the decisive thing, if you look at the whole game, is they had 38 points in the paint and we had 22," said coach Rick Carlisle. "They dictated tempo for most of the game. It was unfortunate because we were in a position at halftime to take control, but they dictated play."

WALLACE HURTING

Pistons center Ben Wallace corralled 12 boards in 37 minutes, but he did it on a bad wheel. Wallace was hobbled due to a sprained right ankle.

"It was hurting," he said. "I thought it would feel better than what it did. I get to go in the gym [Wednesday] and have Arnie [Kander] work on it and get me ready for Friday so we can get going. We have to put this one behind us. We had our opportunities."

Wallace, the NBA's leading rebounder with 15.3 per contest, currently leads all Eastern Conference centers in All-Star voting.