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LeBron James and the Miami Heat will be without Dwyane Wade on Friday night when they take on the Detroit Pistons, so it's up to the Pistons to take advantage of the situation. Wade is still a big part of the Heat attack -- he is averaging 20.2 points and 4.6 assists per game this season, even though his efficiency numbers are down -- but he will be forced to serve a one-game game suspension for what the league described as "flailing his leg and making contact with [Ramon Sessions'] groin."
If you have not seen the contrversial play, here is video of the incident that occurred on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats:
If the Pistons are going to seize the opportunity and upset the Heat, they will need to put the disappointing (and emotionally draining) double-OT loss to the Atlanta Hawks behind them and focus on the task at hand. Rodney Stuckey injured his ankle in that 126-119 loss, and he is listed as questionable for the game. If Stuckey cannot go, Will Bynum -- who scored 31 points in that game -- may be forced to step up once again.
The Heat own the second-most efficient offense in the NBA (109.7 points per 100 possessions) while the Pistons are the No. 19 defense (103.2 points allowed per 100 possessions), so it will take an inspired effort to knock off this high-powered Miami team on Friday.
The opening tip at The Palace of Auburn Hills is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the contest will be televised on FOX Sports Detroit.