Detroit Pistons Suffer Defensive Breakdowns In 20-Point Loss To Miami Heat

When the Detroit Pistons allowed their opponents to score 140 points two games ago, the Motown squad could at least take solace in the fact that it took 10 extra minutes to accomplish. But on Saturday night, the Pistons could not use that excuse as they stumbled to a 137-117 loss versus the Miami Heat on the road. 

Although Detroit held a slim 39-37 advantage after the first quarter, the Pistons ran into a significant stretch of negative rim luck in the second quarter. Time and time again, the Pistons missed perimeter shots, snagged the rebound then failed to capitalize on their second-chance look. Overall, the Pistons had a virtually even disparity of offensive boards (22) and defensive rebounds (24), so crashing the glass was not a problem for Detroit— cashing in those extra possessions was. 

At halftime, the Pistons were trailing by a 68-60 margin, but Detroit allowed Miami to score at least 30 points in the final three frames to close the game for a defensive performance that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff criticized after the game. Now, Ausar Thompson ran into serious foul trouble early in the matchup and was held to just 18 minutes on the night, so his on-ball defensive prowess would have been useful in larger doses against the Heat. 

“Right now, we’re not executing our system consistently enough,” Bickerstaff said after the game. “We’re putting ourselves in tough situations.”

On top of AT’s foul trouble, the Pistons, who are now 8-4, lost Duncan Robinson to a quad injury at halftime, so Detroit’s options were even more limited after the break. In Robinson’s absence, Kevin Huerter delivered a much-needed boost off the bench with 20 points, four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and three blocks, but he was the only Piston outside of Cade Cunningham to break the 20-point threshold last night.  

“He is a really good basketball player that can do a lot of things,” Bickerstaff said of Huerter. “He can get to the paint, he can make shots, he can playmake, so we like to get him involved, try to get the ball in his hands. But I thought he did a great job with his opportunity tonight.”

One game after his career-high 52-point effort,  Cunningham led the team once again with 33 points, which included a perfect 14-for-14 mark from the charity stripe. Cunningham’s options were limited in another tough Eastern Conference matchup without Jalen Duren and Isaiah Joe at his disposal, and Detroit’s short bench played a role in the squad’s 20-point defeat. 

From a defensive standpoint, the Pistons will not be enthused with the fact that they allowed 30 or more points in every single quarter. Miami’s frontcourt combined for 54 on the night with Giannis Antetokounmpo accounting for 34 points and Bam Adebayo adding 20 more, then their inside presence was supplemented with a 26-point outing from Klay Thompson. The Pistons gave up six triples to Thompson in a game where they struggled from beyond the arc themselves, so Detroit has a couple areas to address before their upcoming bout with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 8 pm.