Detroit Pistons Fall 137-117 To Heat As Duncan Robinson Leaves Injured

Playing in another game without either Jalen Duren or Isaiah Joe, the Detroit Pistons suffered a 137-117 loss on the road to the Miami Heat after previously defeating the same squad in their building just a few weeks ago. But unlike that initial matchup, the Pistons fell into serious foul trouble and had a couple key players leave the game due to injury in a matchup where the Motown squad was already shorthanded with Ebuka Okorie out as well.

In the first quarter, the Pistons were firing on all cylinders with a 39-37 lead after the first frame. The trio of Cade Cunningham, Kevin Huerter and Duncan Robinson carried much of the heavy lifting from a scoring standpoint, but that was partially out of necessity since Ausar Thompson picked up two fouls within the first three minutes of the game. 

With AT out of the mix two days after his first career triple-double, the Pistons worked the mid-range and moved the ball to find open shots, but the Heat hung tight and battled each step of the way. In the second quarter, Detroit began to stake out a major advantage on the offensive glass, which led to numerous second-chance opportunities that were not capitalized on. 

During halftime, the Pistons announced that Duncan Robinson was questionable to return due to left thigh soreness, and that marked the end of the veteran sniper’s impact against his former team. As a result, Cunningham began to hunt more shots for himself, so the All-Star point guard finished with another productive 33-point, five-rebound, eight-assist performance without missing a single free throw of his 14 attempts on the night.

From a defensive perspective, the Pistons struggled to match up with Giannis Antetokounmpo for much of the contest. Obviously, Duren was unable to factor into the game, so Miami’s dual-big lineup with Giannis and Bam Adebayo on the court together was more than effective against a depleted Detroit frontcourt. 

”They’ve got two guys that are really good, but the past couple games for us the defense has not been up to standard,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. 

For Miami, Antetokounmpo finished the night with 34 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while receiving key three-point shooting contributions from Klay Thompson amid his 26-point, six-triple effort. 

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Pistons wing Ron Holland II left the game due to knee collision with a Heat opponent, though neither he or Robinson returned for the Pistons. 

Although Thompson was limited to just 18 minutes due to foul trouble, the dynamic two-way force finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks for another impactful display, but it was not enough to lift Detroit over the hometown Heat on Saturday night.