Miami Heat-Detroit Pistons Preview: Can Heat Stay Hot Against Plummeting Pistons?
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The Miami Heat (34-26) face the Detroit Pistons (9-51) with a chance to reach nine games over .500 for the first time this season.
Miami beat the Utah Jazz 126-120 on Saturday night. Jimmy Butler was spectacular, tallying 37 points (3-3 from the arc) and seven assists. Co-star Bam Adebayo had 23 points while Caleb Martin added 18 off the bench.
After winning just 17 games last season, the Pistons are on pace to fall short of that number this season.
Detroit has lost eight of their last nine, most recently a 113-91 defeat to the Orlando Magic. Bench players Evan Fournier and Simone Fontecchio led them in scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Previous Matchups
Tuesday is the second of four games between the teams this season.
The Heat won the first meeting 103-102 in the season-opener in Miami. This was the definition of an ugly win, as the Heat held a 19-point lead with just over nine minutes remaining.
Adebayo paced the Heat with 22 points while Butler (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Kevin Love (13 points, 10 rebounds) had double-doubles.
Cade Cunningham led the charge for Detroit with 30 points and nine assists. The 2021 first-overall pick had the chance to win the game at the buzzer, but his three-pointer was off the mark.
Opposing Players to Watch
Despite their woeful record, the Pistons have an abundance of young, potential-filled players.
Cunningham, 22, was NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2022. The 6-foot-6 point guard is averaging 22.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting 45.3 percent and 35.6 percent from three. He struggled in his most recent game, scoring just nine points on 4-12 shooting in Orlando.
Jaden Ivey was selected fifth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. The 22-year-old is averaging 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 44.2 percent and 34.1 percent from three. Ivey struggled in his previous matchup against the Heat, scoring four points on 1 of 7 shooting.
Key Matchup
Jalen Duren vs. Bam Adebayo
Duren is on the extremely short list of players who can legitimately match Adebayo’s athleticism from the center position.
Despite the loss, Duren turned in a great performance last time they met. The second-year center had 17 points (8 of 11 from the field), 14 rebounds and four blocks.
The 20-year-old is averaging 13.9 points and 11.8 rebounds (5th in NBA) while shooting 62.2 percent (6th).
However, Adebayo presents a unique challenge for Duren on both ends of the floor. The Heat big man is averaging 20.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists while sporting a 109.9 defensive rating (T-10th in NBA).
Nick Crandell is a staff contributor at Inside the Heat.
He can be reached at nick.crandell33@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @nickcrandell
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