The fight was tougher than expected for the Heat, who had to work to overcome the valiant Pistons in Detroit and retain the possibility of snatching 6th place from Brooklyn in the East.
After a balanced first quarter (27-31), the Heat caught fire from 3-pointers early in the second quarter with Tyler Herro, Kevin Love and an untenable Gabe Vincent to fuel a 16-4 and take 16 points ahead (47-31).
Detroit did not resign itself and did what was necessary to give itself a chance to still believe it at the break, following two big dunks from Jalen Duren relayed by Isaiah Livers, author of two 3-point missiles to complete the first half on a 9-1 in favor of the premises (52-59).
Killian Hayes helped put Detroit ahead on an 8-0 return from the locker room, with a floater and an assist for Jalen Duren’s dunk (60-59). Miami reacted by passing a 13-0 in response under the leadership of the Vincent-Butler-Adebayo trio (60-72).
But then again, the Pistons did not abdicate, recovering again and Isaiah Livers, Eugene Omoruyi and Jaden Ivey twice to fire from 3-pointers to return to -1 at the end of the third quarter. in order to offer their public a last act worthy of the name (79-80).
Detroit did more than resist by passing in sequence until Jimmy Butler’s two baskets and Bam Adebayo’s four free throws put the Heat back in the lead, despite two 3-point baskets from Cory Joseph (99 -102). As boss, Jimmy Butler then pulled away to force the decision by aligning 8 points in a row including a 2 + 1 with the fault of Cory Joseph as a bonus (101-110).
Two minutes from the end, the Florida star finished the job with a step-back and a final lay-up to seal the victory for his team, 118 to 105.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Heat’s fiery 4th quarter. Miami had no choice but to win on the floor of a Detroit team that has nothing left to play. But the task turned out to be more difficult than expected. The Floridians then had to pull out all the stops in the last act to ensure the coup. Behind the 18 points of an unstoppable Jimmy Butler, we will thus retain the 13/17 shots passed by Miami to fuel the 38 points scored in 12 minutes. Something to calm the ardor of the young Pistons…
– Miami still believes in it. Between this success acquired outside and Brooklyn’s defeat at home against Minnesota, the Heat can still hope to steal 6th place in the conference from the Nets and thus secure their place in the playoffs without going through the play-in box. With three games remaining, the two teams are only separated by a victory, but the Nets have the “tie-breaker”. Note that 7th place is not yet assured for Miami since Toronto is still in ambush behind.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jimmy Butler. A recital in the last quarter punctuated by a 7/7 shooting, where when talent mixes with aggression. Another boss match from him concluded with a nice line of stats. He felt that his team needed him at the end, and responded present.
✅ Gabe Vincent. One of the X factors of the game, he who fueled the 3-point shelling of the Heat (13/36) with his 6/11 behind the arc. His contribution would have been almost perfect if he hadn’t sent two air-balls, under the influence of euphoria.
✅Jaden Ivey. He too was a model of aggressiveness and efficiency, both from afar and on his incessant penetrations. To be ranked among the best performances of his season.
✅ Jalen Duren. Same thing for the rookie who was bleeding inside and generous on the rebound with 14 takes. Another step in the right direction for him too.
⛔ Killian Hayes. By far the longest playing time of his team for a fairly minimal impact in the end, his 8 assists barely saving his 4 lost balls and his 7 small points (at 3/8 shooting).
THE FOLLOWING
Detroit (16-53) : the Pistons continue with the reception of Brooklyn this evening (01:00).
Miami (42-37) : the Heat will be expected in Philadelphia this Thursday to face the Sixers (01:30).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
