Watch: Whiteside beats Pistons at the buzzer to keep Heat in 8th

It pays to be large and in charge.

With his Miami Heat desperately trying to get a shot up at the end of the fourth quarter, while trailing by one to the Detroit Pistons, center Hassan Whiteside leaped over Andre Drummond to tip in the game-winner with his left hand as time expired, giving his squad the 97-96 victory at the Palace on Tuesday.

Related: Spoelstra says Whiteside finally playing for team, not himself

Whiteside finished with a near double-double of 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting in 30 minutes of action, as Miami improved to 36-38 on the season. It was the first buzzer-beating win for the Heat since LeBron James ended Game 1 of the 2013 Eastern Conference final with a game-winner against the Indiana Pacers.

The Pistons (34-41) now fall two-and-a-half games back of the Heat for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Chicago Bulls (35-39) are one game back.