Miami ? Gary Payton distances himself from what he calls “the Shaq-Kobe nonsense,” saying he stays neutral because he’s friendly with both players.

Choosing sides on the court, well, that’s another matter – because Shaquille O’Neal is clearly Payton’s favorite there.

Payton tied a season-high with 21 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer off O’Neal’s assist with 1:05 left as Miami beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 97-92, on Sunday, the Heat’s second straight Christmas triumph over Kobe Bryant’s team.

“I’m proud that the Miami Heat won. I’ve been in the league too long for me to be proud of anything right now,” Payton said. “I’ve had great games. I’ve had marvelous games. So this is really not (anything) to me. We’ve still got a lot of games. We’re still trying to build.”

Bryant, who missed a three-pointer at the end of the Lakers’ 104-102 loss to Miami last Christmas, missed a potentially tiebreaking one from behind the arc in the final seconds – sealing the Lakers’ fourth consecutive Christmas defeat.

With Payton hounding him for much of the second half, Bryant finished with 37 points on 12-of-30 shooting, including an 0-for-8 effort from three-point range.

“Gary’s been a hell of a defender his entire career,” Bryant said. “He taught me how to play defense.”

Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal (32) battles for a rebound with L.A. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during the third quarter. The Heat beat the Lakers, 97-92, Sunday in Miami.

O’Neal had 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade added 18 points for the Heat. Brian Cook had 15 points, and Lamar Odom had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost for the third time in their last 12 games.

Payton spent the 2003-04 season with the Lakers, the year they lost to Detroit in the NBA Finals – and the last year that O’Neal and Bryant were teammates. He went there because he thought O’Neal could help him win an elusive first title, and signed a one-year deal with Miami to continue that pursuit.

“We didn’t bring him here on a gurney,” Heat coach Pat Riley said. “This is not a quick trip to South Beach. He still has the ability to make some big plays, and at the same time he did a great job defending Kobe.”

The Shaq-Kobe duo wouldn’t acknowledge or look at each other before the game, not shaking hands like last year before the Christmas tipoff in Los Angeles.

Pistons 85, Spurs 70

Auburn Hills, Mich. – This was not just another game for Antonio McDyess. He still was stung by the Pistons’ loss in the NBA Finals six months ago.

The reserve forward came through with a season-high 13 rebounds and 10 points in Detroit’s victory over San Antonio – a rematch of the title series and a game between the teams with the two best records in the league.

“I was a little more motivated for the win,” McDyess said. “It was my first finals. To lose like we did, I’m going to remember it for the rest of my life.”

McDyess seemed to take the setback the hardest because he wasn’t on the team when it won the title two seasons ago.

“He was so close, and it sort of slipped away,” teammate Ben Wallace said.

Detroit dominated this gritty defensive struggle. The Pistons held the Spurs to their lowest-scoring first quarter as they missed 13 of their last 14 shots. Both teams shot about 40 percent.

“You saw both teams as basically who they are – meat-and-potato teams,” Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. “Maybe this is why the game wasn’t hyped as much. This is what basketball was meant to be like – play defense, play team basketball.”

The game featuring the past two champions opened the NBA’s annual Christmas doubleheader, lacking the Shaq-Kobe hype of the Heat-Lakers matchup that followed.

“We’re very honored, but we realize it is a great responsibility to play in the JV game,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich joked.