Heat halt 3-game skid with win over Pistons
Detroit Pistons guard Delon Wright (55) shoots the ball between Miami Heat forward Andre Iguodala (28) and center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half at American Airlines Arena on January 18, 2021. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Bam Adebayo produced his fifth double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds, helping the short-handed Miami Heat rally to a 113-107 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
Adebayo, who also had five assists, scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter and made 10-of-11 from the foul line for the game.
Article continues after this advertisementMiami, which trailed by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, was without four key players: Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley (both due to COVID protocol) as well as Tyler Herro (neck) and Meyers Leonard (shoulder).
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1351388995847131136
Jerami Grant led Detroit with 27 points. It marked the 12th consecutive game in which he has scored at least 20 points.
Article continues after this advertisementWayne Ellington, a former Heat player, added 24 points for the Pistons, making 7-of-11 3-pointers. Detroit’s Derrick Rose had 21 points.
Heat backup point guard Goran Dragic, who made his first start of the season, scored 22 points, including a key bank shot with 46 seconds left. Duncan Robinson added 18 points for the Heat, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
With Dragic starting in place of Herro, Kendrick Nunn moved up in the Heat rotation, scoring a season-high 18 points off the bench.
#HEATtwitter what'd you think of KNunn's performance tonight?
18 Pts / 5 Rebs / 3 Asts / 1 Blk / 2 Stls pic.twitter.com/JPfi6qZeB2
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 19, 2021
The game, scheduled to start at 3 p.m., was delayed five hours as additional COVID-19 testing was required.
Detroit, which dominated the early action, settled for a 36-24 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Grant had 10 points in that first quarter as Detroit shot 65.2 percent from the floor, including 5-of-10 on three-pointers.
Miami got back in the game with a 17-4 run that bridged the first and second quarters. The Heat regained the lead 53-51 on a Dragic jumper with 2:24 left in the second quarter.
By halftime, Detroit led 61-55 as both teams shot slightly over 50 percent for the first two quarters. Dragic led all first-half scorers with 14 points.
Miami got the lead back in the third, taking an 88-80 advantage into the fourth. Through three quarters, Miami was shooting 56.5 percent.
In the fourth, Dragic’s bank shot gave Miami a 110-105 lead. Adebayo then blocked Grant’s shot on a drive with 31 seconds left, and the Heat held on from there.
For the game, Miami shot a season-best 57.3 percent from the floor, including 12-for-30 on 3-pointers (40 percent). Detroit shot 46.3 percent, including 13-for-37 on 3-pointers (35.1 percent).
