Detroit Pistons nearly blown out in 108-95 loss to Miami Heat

March 16, 2024 Admin

The Detroit Pistons had already played two competitive games against the Miami Heat this season — opening the season with a one-point loss, followed by a eigh-point defeat two Sundays ago — with both coming on the road.

The close results didn’t encourage head coach Monty Williams, though. After all, they were both losses in which the Pistons failed to execute down the stretch.

“We’ve played them competitively, but in the moment they’ve shown what we know about Miami,” Williams said. “They’re always ready for those moments because they’ve been in those situations so many times before. We just have to be better in those moments and consistently throughout the game.”

Williams’ pregame fears were proven correct in the Heat’s first visit to Little Caesars Arena (the first of back-to-back games between the squads in Detroit) on Friday. The Pistons lost steam in the third quarter, as the Heat used a 17-2 run for their biggest lead of the night to that point, 83-65, toward the end of the period.

The end result was a 108-95 loss for the Pistons (12-54), who were nearly blown out after winning three of their previous four games. Detroit committed 17 turnovers, off of which Miami scored 33 points.

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Simone Fontecchio (24 points, six rebounds, 5-for-8 from 3) and Jalen Duren (15 points, 17 rebounds) carried Detroit’s offense as Cade Cunningham (11 points, nine assists, 5-for-15 shooting) had a tough time dealing with Miami’s pesky defenders. Jaden Ivey (14 points, nine assists, 3-for-14 shooting) also had issues scoring but had all nine of his assists by halftime.

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 22 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Cody Martin (18 points, eight rebounds, six assists), Terry Rozier (18 points, five assists) and Michigan alumnus Duncan Robinson (16 points) lifted Miami as Jimmy Butler (14 points) had a quieter night.

Detroit had issues against the Heat’s defense, which ranks fourth in the NBA since the Feb. 8 trade deadline with a defensive rating of 110. Miami scored 20 points off of 10 first-half Pistons turnovers, and Detroit knocked down just five of 19 3-pointers in the first half. Yet the Pistons only trailed by two at halftime, 56-54, thanks to an even poorer shooting night (3-for-16) for the Heat.

Miami owned the third quarter, outscoring the Pistons 28-18 while shooting 50%. Detroit shot 40% in the period but hit just two of its nine attempts from 3, coupled with ongoing turnover issues.

Cunningham struggles against Miami D

It was a rare off night for the third-year guard, who entered the game averaging 22.9 points while shooting 46.3% overall and 40.4% from the line since the Feb. 8 trade deadline. His 11 points were his lowest total since Jan. 7, a road game against the Denver Nuggets he exited after 11 minutes due to a knee injury.

Cunningham’s improved efficiency was a key reason behind the Pistons’ 6-10 record over their previous 16 games, matching the win total from their first 49. With Cunningham shut down, Detroit’s other offensive options weren’t able to pick up enough slack.

Turnover issues ramping up again for Pistons

For a stretch of time, the Pistons were able to overcome some of their early season issues with ball control. They’ve regressed hard recently.

They had at least 20 turnovers in three of their previous four games — 22 against the Raptors on Wednesday, 20 against the Dallas Mavericks last Saturday and 23 against the Brooklyn Nets two days before that — before Friday’s 17-turnover performance. Prior to the last eight days, Detroit’s last such performance was on Feb. 27. Before that? Jan. 9.

Ivey (16), Cunningham (15) and Duren (13), the three players who handle the ball most frequently, fittingly are Detroit’s turnover leaders in those losses. They were culpable on Friday as well, combining for 10, with rookie Marcus Sasser chipping in three, as well.

Detroit had back-to-back turnovers in the first two minutes of the game, helping Miami get off to a 9-2 start. Detroit also had back-to-back turnovers to open the second half, with a poor entry pass by Cunningham leading to an early timeout by Williams after Adebayo’s layup on the other end extended Miami’s lead to eight, 64-56.

The Pistons committed five turnovers in the third after entering halftime with 10. By the end of the third, the Heat had scored 30 points off of Detroit’s 15 turnovers.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him @omarisankofa.