The Miami Heat are continuing their hot stretch, extending their winning streak to five games with their 121-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. The Pistons still hold the No. 1 seed in the East, a game ahead of the Boston Celtics.
For the Heat, Tyler Herro was the leading scorer with 25 points. He continues his strong stretch of high-scoring performances since coming back from injury last month. Also, Bam Adebayo scored 24 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. He continues his strong season as one of the more under-appreciated centers in basketball. While not selected to this season's All-Star game, Adebayo has had a strong season as a scorer and a defender.
It is important to note Andrew Wiggins was absent for this game, dealing with a toe injury, along with Norman Powell, who continues to recover from his groin injury suffered at the tail-end of Feb. Starting in Wiggins' place was Myron Gardner, the forward who has become recognized around the league as a tough player following his on-the-court altercation with Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. last month. Gardner was recently signed to a three-year contract after spending most of the season on a two-way deal. He scored four points in 16 minutes.
The Heat got off to a hot start, outscoring the Pistons 34-16 in the first quarter and holding a 67-48 lead at the half. Every player had a positive plus-minus as well entering halftime. It was a dominant beginning to the game and Miami never fully allowed Detroit to get back in the matchup until the Pistons outscored the Heat 30-18 in the final quarter. It still was not enough to come back.
For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren continued their strong seasons with both scoring north of 20 points. They were both named All-Stars for a reason and both have been phenomenal for the No. 1 seed Pistons.
The Heat have begun the month of March with a 4-0 record, which has raised them to the No. 6 seed in the East and that is good for a playoff spot at the moment. Their record now is 36-29. The Heat will take on the 16-46 Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
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