The Miami Heat continued their late-season push Sunday night, defeating the Detroit Pistons 121-110 at Kaseya Center behind efficient scoring from Tyler Herro and a milestone performance by Bam Adebayo.
Herro led Miami with 25 points, while Adebayo added 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Heat improved to 36-29. The victory marked Miami’s fifth consecutive win and pushed the club seven games above .500 for the first time this season.
Adebayo entered the game needing 23 points to reach 10,000 for his career. The All-Star center reached the mark during the second half, becoming just the second player in franchise history to score 10,000 points in a Heat uniform, joining Dwyane Wade.
Miami established control early and never allowed Detroit to recover.
The Heat built an 18-point lead by the end of the first quarter and stretched the margin to as many as 25 before halftime. Detroit never cut the deficit to single digits over the final 38 minutes.
Herro delivered the decisive stretch midway through the third quarter.
After Marcus Sasser missed a three-pointer that could have trimmed Detroit’s deficit to 15, Herro responded with three consecutive three-pointers over a 1:51 span. The burst pushed Miami’s advantage to 93-66 and effectively sealed the outcome.
The Heat shot 46 percent from the field and converted 23 of 25 free throws. Miami also controlled the glass with a 49-40 rebounding edge and recorded 31 assists on 43 made field goals.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. provided additional playmaking with 19 points and seven assists off the bench. Kel’el Ware added 12 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes, while Davion Mitchell contributed eight points and four assists.
Miami played without several rotation players. Norman Powell remained sidelined with a groin injury, Nikola Jovic missed the game with a back issue, and Andrew Wiggins was unavailable due to a toe injury.
Detroit, which still leads the Eastern Conference at 45-18, dropped its fourth consecutive game, its longest losing streak of the season. The loss trimmed the Pistons’ lead over the Boston Celtics to 2.5 games in the conference standings.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 26 points and 10 assists, continuing his role as the team’s primary offensive organizer. Jalen Duren scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed five rebounds.
Isaiah Stewart added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Paul Reed contributed 10 points and five boards in limited minutes.
Detroit struggled from long range, shooting 11-for-37 from three-point range. Miami also forced 11 turnovers while maintaining consistent offensive pressure throughout the night.
The victory also secured the season series for Miami, which finished 2-1 against Detroit. The Heat became the first Eastern Conference team to win a season series against the Pistons this season.
Detroit will attempt to halt its skid Tuesday when it visits Brooklyn. Miami will remain home to host Washington in its next game.
