How To Watch Miami Heat Vs Detroit Pistons; Lineups, Injury Report, Betting Lines

Game time: Fri. October 23; 8:00 p.m., Kaseya Center, Miami

TV: WPLG Local 10

Betting line: Heat +1.5

VITALS

The Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons meet for the first of four matchups this regular season. Last season, Miami won the series (2-1) and has currently won nine of the last 13 overall against Detroit. The Heat are 74-61 all-time versus the Pistons during the regular season, including 41-26 at home and 33-35 on the road. Tonight is the first of a home-road back-to-back with another game tomorrow night in Charlotte against the Hornets. It marks Miami’s first of 13 back-to-backs this season.

Miami is coming off a 25-point loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in front of their home crowd on Wednesday night. The team's shiny new acquisition, Giannis Antetokounmpo, played like his MVP self, scoring 35 points and posting six rebounds but it wasn't enough to push the team toward an opening night victory. Klay Thompson, Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nick Richards made their team debuts as well with Thompson shooting 50 percent from three-point range. However, as a team, they shot a dismal eight-for-33 (24.2 percent) from beyond the arc throughout the matchup. Miami will look to bounce back against a hot Pistons team who had an exciting opening game of their own.

Detroit beat the Boston Celtics on Tuesday afternoon, mounting a 22-point comeback in the second half to open the season. Miami's former role player, Duncan Robinson, played an integral role in the team's victory, scoring 21 points and hitting 55 percent of his nine three-point attempts. It may only be the second game of the season but the Pistons should be one team contending for a top spot in the Eastern Conference and tonight's matchup could be big for future implications.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Miami Heat

G Davion Mitchell

G Klay Thompson

F Andrew Wiggins

F Giannis Antetokounmpo

C Bam Adebayo

Detroit Pistons

G Cade Cunningham

G Duncan Robinson

F Ausar Thompson

F John Collins

C Jalen Duren

INJURY REPORT

Miami Heat

F Myron Gardner (right ankle sprain) - AVAILABLE

C Vladislav Goldin (right ankle sprain) - AVAILABLE

G Dru Smith (right calf strain) - AVAILABLE

Detroit Pistons

F Taurean Prince (personal) - PROBABLE

G/F Elijah Harkless (G-League - Two-Way) - OUT

F Isaac Jones (G-League - Two-Way) - OUT

C Ugonna Onyenso (G-League - Two-Way) - OUT

QUOTABLES

Heat star Bam Adebayo on the team's struggling offense against the Timberwolves: "A lot of our offense is built off pass, cut, relocation and giving the ball space. I feel like, you know, a couple of times when we were stagnant, it was because we weren't five out and there's no elbows to create an opening."

Adebayo on the Heat's defense from beyond the arc against Minnesota: "I feel like it was just rhythm, rhythm threes. You know, between LaMelo [Ball] and Ant [Edwards], they shot, I think, 32 and we felt like most of them were rhythm shots, where it was just kind of like, dance, dance, dance, shoot... and you know how our defense is predicated on, you know, being disrupted, being reckless, making guys think. I feel like they was just in there not really thinking, just being like, 'oh, I'm open, shoot it.'"