Norman Powell and the heat continues in Detroit!

Stuck in a black streak of eight losses in nine games recently, Heat came back to life in three games and just got their fourth win in a row after dominating the best team in the East, on their home field! Despite the late awakening, Detroit conceded its 9th loss of the season by suffering the aggressive defense, speed of execution and skill of the Floridians for practically the entire match. In terms of outside skill, Miami relied mostly on Norman Powell, who scored 36 points on 7/14 in practice.

In any case, the cocktail allowed Erik Spoelstra’s men to quickly take the lead, thanks to a 14-2 run at the end of the first quarter (22-31). Drew Smith, Jaime Jaques Jr. and Bam Adebayo were able to take over Norman Powell, who was gradually heating up, as well as the end of the first half, marked by three 3-point baskets, the last of which 0.9 seconds before the break (54-63).

Sasser has something

It appeared to be settled midway through the third quarter after Bam Adebayo’s dunk, Davion Mitchell’s two 3-pointers in quick succession, and another hot streak from Powell-Wiggins to make it 82-60 in Miami’s favor. Still down by 22 with 3 minutes left in the period (67-89), the Pistons finally got out of their hole, thanks in large part to…Marcus Sasser!

The guard made four 3-pointers to bring his team back to a respectable deficit, before seeing Javonte Green twice and then Cade Cunningham, also with a 3-pointer, suddenly restart the final minutes of the match (104-114). Bad choices by the Heat under pressure on one side and a dunk by Auzar Thompson, followed by a three-pointer by Davonte Green, then offered Detroit a chance to dream of a crazy “comeback” (112-114). Except Jaime Jaquez’s mid-range absence and Auzar Thompson’s poor layup finally put Miami back in a position of strength to allow the Floridians to win 118-112, not without a lot of scares.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

Norman Powell leaves in 2026. The Pistons couldn’t find a way to stop him, so he did his best, shooting a nice 7/14 from long range to add to his 36 points. The only drawback was his final quarter in which he scored just two points, the last two of the game on free throws.

Davion Mitchell pissed off Cade Cunningham. Few teams have the profile to stop the Pistons’ rough-and-tumble leader. That’s not the case for Miami, who put Davion Mitchell a leech on Cade Cunningham. Despite 31 points (including 17 made on free throws), Detroit’s leader struggled to express himself, as he was condemned to a feat of scoring. Limited to 6/16 shooting, he stood out with his 7 turnovers (compensated with 11 assists).

Ausar Thompson’s Big Dumpling. Heat lost its footing at the end of the match, and one of the examples was this key possession with the score 114-107, because Bam Adebayo was the leader at that moment, dribbling at the head of the racket. Two dribbles were enough for Cade Cunningham to intercept the ball and set up Auzar Thompson on a counterattack for a dunk that put Detroit back within two possessions (109-114). Unfortunately for Thompson’s twin, barely more than 30 seconds later, when the home team was back to -2 (112-114), his layup to allow his team to tie or take the lead turned into a fiasco. His pass to Cade Cunningham was intercepted, sealing the win for the Heat, after two final throws by Norman Powell…

Marcus Sasser confirms. Already in sight against the Lakersthe guard was on fire again as he was the one who brought hope back to the Pistons with a nice 4/6 3-pointer for 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He was just one win away from being the hero of the night.

Jalen Duren’s ankle turned. Pistons suffered a serious ankle sprain during the drive and quickly returned to the locker room. The Pistons confirmed from the break that they will not return to the game. Now we have to wait for the return of the first exams.

How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / 3 points in an attempt; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.