MIAMI, Florida— Even with the Miami Heat (4-7) having a 4-point halftime lead, it seemed the Pistons’ (3-9) had control from the start of Saturday night’s matchup.
The Pistons took control of the game on the scoreboard in the third quarter, using a 16-2 run to build a 17-point lead. They never slowed down and cruised to a road win over the defending Eastern Conference Champions, 120-100.
Jerami Grant was the leader of the Pistons in multiple categories, finishing with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. His 11 points in the third quarter helped sparked the run that led the Pistons to victory. Derrick Rose scored 23 points in his first game back after dealing with a knee injury.
With stars Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro out due to COVID-19 safety protocols, the Heat needed multiple guys to pick up for the loss of scoring. Their Second-year forward KZ Okpala made his first career start for the shorthanded Heat and had an efficient night scoring. He ended up finishing with a career-high of 16 points on 6/7 shooting, 4/4 from three due to the chenge.
Jerami Grant continues 20+ point-scoring streak
Jerami Grant entered the season with plenty to prove to NBA fans. The Pistons were criticized for their sign-and-trade deal to acquire Grant from the Nuggets, which saw him sign a 3-year $60 million contract.
Those criticisms were not unwarranted, as Grant was mainly a bench player for the Nuggets. Those criticisms seem to be fading fast though as Grant has turned into a blossoming star for Detroit.
He has scored 25+ points 6 times in 11 games since joining the Pistons. That is something he has done only 6 times in his 454 career games prior.
With another 24-point game on Saturday, Grant has scored 20+ points in 11 straight games for the Pistons. He currently ranks 13th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 24.8 points per game.
Adebayo, Robinson leaders for Heat in loss
With several players out for the Heat, they turned to Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson to lead the way for them. Both played well, but their combined effort was not enough to overcome the Pistons’ double-digit lead.
Adebayo had the high-scoring game and finished with 28 points on 8/11 shooting. In contrast, Robinson had 22 points on 5/8 shooting from three.
UP NEXT
The Pistons and the Heat face each other again Monday, January 18, in Miami.
