AUBURN HILLS, MICH. ? Michael Redd was relieved the Milwaukee Bucks had just enough to hold off Detroit’s frantic comeback.

Redd scored a career playoff high 26 points and the Bucks held on to beat the Pistons, 92-88, Wednesday in Game 2, evening their series. It was the first win by a road team in this year’s playoffs.

Milwaukee led 87-72 with 3:13 left, but needed a costly miscue by Detroit and Redd to convert two free throws to escape with the victory.

“It probably would’ve destroyed us if we lost because of the way we played,” Redd said. “It would’ve been a travesty.”

After Milwaukee’s Damon Jones missed two free throws with 9.5 seconds left, with a two-point lead, the Pistons had a chance to tie or go ahead.

Rasheed Wallace took a pass in the corner, mishandled the ball and it went out of bounds with 4.1 seconds left.

“I ain’t making no excuses,” Wallace said. “It just slipped out of my hands.”

Redd then made two free throws to seal the win against a team many picked to advance to the NBA Finals.

“I’m not buying into the fact that we’re going to lay down and give this series away,” Redd said. “We definitely want to win it. We’re a tough team.”

Game 3 in the first round, best-of-seven series is Saturday in Milwaukee.

Redd, the Bucks’ leading scorer, was held to 11 points in Game 1 — about half his average. He also made seven of Milwaukee’s 25 turnovers in its 108-82 loss Sunday.

Redd scored his 12th point on the opening possession of the second half Wednesday.

He made his first three shots, two of them three-pointers, and had nine points by the end of the first quarter.

Heat 93, Hornets 63

Miami — Miami had no need for another last-second hero — not the way New Orleans missed shots at a near-record rate. New Orleans shot 24.4 percent to tie for the second-lowest playoff point total since the shot clock was introduced in 1954, and the Heat took a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

The hapless Hornets finished 20-for-82. They sank seven meaningless baskets in the fourth quarter to avoid breaking the record for playoff shooting futility — 23.3 percent, set by Golden State in 1973.

Utah holds the playoff record for fewest points with 54 in 1998.

T’wolves 95, Nuggets 81

Minneapolis — Latrell Sprewell took care of the shooting, and Kevin Garnett did the dirty work. Sprewell scored 31 points, Garnett had his third career playoff triple-double and the Timberwolves beat Denver to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The series shifts to Denver for the next two games, with Game 3 set for Saturday night.