These are not the same Detroit Pistons. Off the back of their let it fly by any means offense, Detroit ran through the Miami Heat 128-111. Detroit ranked 29th in 3-point attempts last season, shooting 31 a game. They shot 40 against Boston and 38 tonight. The offseason buzz about upgraded shooting is coming to fruition. They shot a sizzling 47 percent from range tonight.
Jalen Duren could not be a part of the offensive success as he went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Duren was
on his way to another complete game. He did more than hold his own in matchups with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Duren pinned Giannis’ shot like a piñata and beat him to the punch to swipe the ball away right before he went down.
Paul Reed filled the Duren void as only Bball Paul could. He sank a trey ball with Giannis sagging, forcing Giannis to look at the Heat’s bench like, “that wasn’t on the scouting report, coach.” Reed needs an update on the know your personal reports. He’s flat-out one of the most impactful role players. Reed had 19 points and 11 boards. Hoopers love his game because of his sneaky craft. Stat heads love his impact numbers. Everybody loves Reed because of his heart and hustle.
Ausar Thompson had Bad Boys sequences before he exited the game with a lower body injury. He rejected Giannis at the cup and threw an on-target lob to Cade Cunningham on the break. He gave Pelle Larsson a get-out-of-here shove after arguing why he was fouled (he was). And Ausar had a mean corkscrew lob finish. Watching him contort his body 3,000 feet in the air never gets old. He went down, but others kept their foot on the gas.
Hello John Collins, nice of you to join the party. Collins rained triples, ragdolled smalls, drew charges, and had his hard hat on the glass. His Pistons coming-out party took place in the Miami streets.
Collins finished with 23 points and seven boards. He was nearly perfect from deep, going 5-for-6. Collins was a great addition to the Pistons’ shooting, but an old shooter reminded the Heat what they are missing. Duncan Robinson got his string music going early in a building he once called home. Robinson scorched Miami shooting 5-for-10 from way downtown.
Detroit’s bench did Miami the same way, outscoring the Heat’s bench 64-39. Everybody got in on the action. Ron Holland made top-of-his-class decisions, Kevin Huerter continues to be an underrated defender, and Isaiah Joe’s shot creation is the two-eyes emoji. He’s going to get going as he gets more comfortable.
I got this far without mentioning Cade on an individual level, as he was impactful too. Consistently drawing two and shooting efficiently works. The seven turnovers aren’t ideal, but you know he’s doing everything in his power to chase those turnovers down like 2009 LeBron.
Giannis is the Heat’s first year-in, year-out superstar since LeBron played in South Beach. Giannis rim ran for 36 points, shooting 15-for-26. He was a one-man army again.
Miami needs way more from Bam Adebayo offensively, but the Heat’s defense has been super disappointing. Daniss Jenkins waltzed to the rim a few times (he was solid all around, honestly). For a defense that’s supposed to be top-fiveish, Miami has a ways to go before they sniff that level. They get another chance to get in the win column tomorrow night versus the Charlotte Hornets.
The Pistons get a look at the radio talk show leading Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night. LeBron. Cade. The Pistons’ blend of clamps and shooting. Philly’s star power. Sunday will be a fun one.
