Heat halt skid with win over Pistons

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, January 18 (Tuesday, January 19, Manila time).

Adebayo, who also had 5 assists, scored 13 of his points in the 4th quarter and shot 10-of-11 from the foul line for the game.

Miami, which trailed by as many as 19 points in the 1st quarter, was without 4 key players: Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley (both due to coronavirus protocol) as well as Tyler Herro (neck) and Meyers Leonard (shoulder).

Jerami Grant led Detroit with 27 points. It marked the 12th consecutive game in which he has scored at least 20 points.

Wayne Ellington, a former Heat player, added 24 points for the Pistons, making 7-of-11 three-pointers. Derrick Rose had 21 points win the loss.

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.

The game, scheduled to start at 3 pm, was delayed 5 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 1st quarter. Grant had 10 points in that period as Detroit shot 65.2% from the floor, including 5-of-10 on three-pointers.

Miami got back in the game with a 17-4 run that bridged the 1st and 2nd quarters. The Heat regained the lead 53-51 on a Dragic jumper with 2:24 left before the break

By halftime, Detroit led 61-55 as both teams shot slightly over 50% for the first two quarters. Dragic led all first-half scorers with 14 points.

Miami got the lead back in the 3rd, taking an 88-80 advantage into the 4th. Through 3 quarters, Miami was shooting 56.5%.

In the 4th, a Dragic bank shot gave Miami a 110-105 lead. Adebayo then blocked a Grant shot on a drive with 31 seconds left as the Heat held on from there.

For the game, Miami shot a season-best 57.3% from the floor, including 12-for-30 on three-pointers (40%). Detroit shot 46.3%, including 13-for-37 on three-pointers (35.1%). – Rappler.com