updated 9:55 p.m. ET Oct. 5, 2008

MIAMI - Michael Beasley only wanted to see a movie.

So on Saturday night, he left his new house in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, headed to a nearby theater and tried to get tickets for “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Small problem: Word of the Heat first-rounder’s presence leaked, and the 19-year-old was quickly mobbed by dozens of people.

“I don’t really see myself as a celebrity,” Beasley said.

Oh, but in Miami, the kid’s already a star — and finally got to see his new home fans Sunday night.

Beasley scored 16 points in his preseason debut, 13 in the third quarter, but Rodney Stuckey scored a game-high 23 for Detroit and the Pistons scored the first six points of overtime on the way to beating the Heat 95-91 in the exhibition opener for both clubs.

Jason Maxiell finished with 13 points for Detroit, including the first two baskets of overtime. Richard Hamilton added 12, even though he — like virtually most of the projected regulars for both teams — played sparingly.

“I think I would give us a C or a B-minus tonight,” Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace said.

Mark Blount scored 12 points, while Daequan Cook, David Padgett and Olympic gold medalist Dwyane Wade each added 11 for Miami.

Stuckey connected on a baseline jumper from a tough angle — behind the backboard, the Heat argued — with 8.8 seconds left in regulation to get Detroit within one. And after Cook made a free throw at the other end, Stuckey hit a 15-footer from the left wing to force overtime.

By then, knowing Beasley’s night was done, the majority of a sparse crowd had already left.

“A lot of people thought he was going to come in and be NBA-ready and tonight really showed that he really is,” Hamilton said. “It’s tough coming into your first exhibition game and playing against guys that you haven’t played against and I thought he did a good job.”

Beasley, who was perhaps the nation’s most dynamic college player in his lone season at Kansas State, entered the game for the first time with 3:11 left in the opening quarter to a loud ovation, even in a sparsely filled arena.

The Heat know he can score. During the preseason, they want to see if Beasley can defend.

“He’s a coachable kid and he’s been diligent with his work when he’s healthy and able to get out there,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But it’s going to be a process. It’s going to take some time because he doesn’t naturally think defense first, and that’s pretty normal for a young player, so we’ll have to rebuild some habits.”

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Those lessons are apparently already being learned. On Beasley’s first defensive possession, he stepped in front of a pass near midcourt, drove the other way and drew a foul. Yet afterward, he acknowledged he’s got a long way to go.

“Everybody’s got to be on a string and one person can mess the whole defense up,” Beasley said. “Most of the time, it was me.”

Beasley started the second half, playing alongside Wade, Mario Chalmers, Shawn Marion and Blount. The Wade-Beasley pairing instantly clicked; Wade set Beasley up for baskets on consecutive possessions early in the third quarter, the second of which resulted in a two-handed dunk by the rookie.

“You could tell before the game he was a little nervous,” Wade said. “But he got over it fast.”

The Heat leave Monday for Paris, where they’ll open part of the NBA Europe Live tour Thursday against the New Jersey Nets. The teams will also meet in London on Oct. 12.

Notes: Heat point guard Chris Quinn sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter and is listed as day-to-day. ... Wade, who hadn’t played a game in Miami since March, greeted the stat crew with fist bumps before tip-off. “Hey, y’all miss me?” he asked. ... Actress Gabrielle Union, a fixture at Heat games in recent seasons, sat in the second row opposite the Miami bench. ... Newly retired Jason Williams, who was with the Heat for three seasons, sat behind the Detroit bench. ... The Heat placed Udonis Haslem (foot), Shaun Livingston (knee), Dorell Wright (knee) and James Jones (wrist) on the game’s inactive list. Detroit didn’t have any inactives.

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