Stamps surrender 19-point lead, but regain in OT to edge Heat

On December 17, 2024By Littum

Detroit – The Detroit Pistons posted a thrilling 125-124 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena. They surrendered a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter, when the Heat outscored them 33-17.

“In Detroit Pistons fashion, that’s what we do,” coach JB Bickerstaff said. “That’s what we do. We find ourselves in close games, but our guys don’t stop playing. They keep competing. They keep sharing the game. They stay together.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Tyler Herro connected on a big 3-point field goal to cut Miami’s deficit to three. On the next offensive possession, Jimmy Butler’s layup brought the Heat within one point (112-111) with 1:10 left in the period. Cade Cunningham hit a pair of free throws to give the Pistons a three-point advantage.

However, Herro connected on another triple to send the game into overtime. The Heat outscored Detroit 18-2 in the final five minutes of regulation.

Miami led 122-114 over the Heat with 2:32 left. The Heat appeared to be on the verge of a victory until Tim Hardaway Jr. hit three consecutive 3-pointers to give the Pistons a 123-122 lead. Miami and Detroit traded baskets in the final minute, starting with Butler scoring on a layup attempt to give the Heat a 124-123 lead, but losing his shoe in the process.

Cunningham took advantage of the five-on-four possession and scored a basket, giving the Pistons a 125-124 lead with 38 seconds left. Butler led Miami with 35 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Herro added 23.

“We played a little too much on our heels — allowed them to be the aggressors,” Cunningham said. “They have too many good players and coaches; they’re going to make you pay for it. We just got stuck and decided to put our foot down, draw the line, and then we got the win.”

Cunningham led the Pistons with his sixth triple-double of the season, totaling 20 points, a career-best 18 assists and 11 rebounds. He recorded eight dimes in the first half, contributing to a 63-59 lead for Detroit.

Malik Beasley, who started in place of Jaden Ivey, received over half of Cunningham’s assists, scoring 13 of his team-high 28 points in the first half. He finished shooting efficiently, going 9-of-18 from the floor and 7-of-13 from behind the arc.

Since making his season debut on Nov. 25, Ausar Thompson had his best game despite battling through a lingering knee problem, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He converted a two-handed dunk at the 11:18 mark of the third quarter, landing awkwardly on his left knee.

He limped to the sideline, and after the training staff quickly evaluated him, Thompson returned. He finished the night playing a season-best 26 minutes. After the fight, Thompson revealed that his injury scare was due to cramps.

“I thought he was really good on both ends of the floor,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s more to come. You see all the things he can do on the floor as a playmaker, as a rebounder, play the catch and attack the paint — we know what he’s capable of defensively. I thought he was really good. i night and I think he’s only going to get better.”

The Pistons have been relatively healthy through the first 26 games of the season, barring a few nagging injuries. But against the Heat, they were without two of their rotation players.

First, Ivey was a late scratch due to soreness in his left knee and unexpectedly spent the night sitting at the end of the bench dressed in a gray Nike warmup kit. At the start of the second quarter, the Pistons lost backup big man Isaiah Stewart, who suffered a hyperextended left knee while fighting a layup attempt against the Heat’s Terry Rozier. Overall, the stamps are 11-16.

The Pistons host the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. The game will be Detroit’s last home game of the calendar year. The Pistons begin a four-game West Coast road trip against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Tipoff between the Pistons and Jazz is scheduled for 19 on LCA.

Observations vs. heat

Tobias Harris ruled day-to-day: Ivey and Stewart weren’t the only players on the sideline against the Heat. Tobias Harris missed his second game of the season with a sprained right thumb against the Boston Celtics on Thursday. While expressing the difficulty of replacing Harris’ production, Bickerstaff revealed before the game that the veteran forward will be everyday amid his pending return.

Ausar Thompson put together his best game of the season: In the midst of his second start, Thompson had his best performance. He showed his potential as a prominent two-way player. However, it was the small intangibles on the field that made Thompson stand out.

On the first defensive possession, Thompson used his athleticism to break up Duncan Robinson’s attempt to get Bam Adebayo. Thompson later forced Robinson into a turnover after he stripped the ball away in the middle of his attempt to attack downhill. On the offensive end, he provided Cunningham with a sustained target that filled the court in transition. Four of Cunningham’s 18 assists came in transition with Thompson as the receiver.

Improve their ability to defend the 3: The Pistons entered the game as one of the league’s worst teams defending against the 3-ball. They allowed their opponents to shoot 37.7% from behind the arc, and their struggles led Bickerstaff to highlight the issue during a rare two days of practice. The results saw the Pistons hold the Heat to 27.9% shooting, marking one of their best defensive performances of the year.

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