For the first time since 2018-19, the Detroit Pistons have started out the regular season 2-0 after a dominant 128-111 victory over the Miami Heat.
In Detroit’s first road contest of the year, the Pistons came out strong and hit a flurry of three-pointers courtesy of Duncan Robinson and John Collins, who both had multiple connections in the first quarter. Detroit was able to open up a double-digit lead early, but the squad suffered the first of two significant losses when Jalen Duren went down with an apparent right leg injury. The Pistons later clarified that JD had injured his right thigh and wouldn’t be returning after he limped off to the locker room in a hurry, though he did notably reach back to grab near his hamstring area.
Later in the game, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson had his legs tangled up in transition and similarly retreated down the tunnel for treatment on what looked to be an ankle issue. Neither Thompson nor Duren were needed for Detroit to close out the win, though Paul Reed received a significant boost of minutes in JD’s absence.
After the game, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shook his head and dismissed any update for either Duren or Thompson, so the next Detroit injury report will be quite informative in that regard.
Without Thompson or Duren for much of the game, the Pistons continued to punish Miami’s lackluster perimeter defense by hitting 18 three-pointers on the night. Robinson hit five triples for the second consecutive game, and John Collins matched that effort with five long-range deposits of his own in a 23-point, seven-rebound effort against the Heat.
As for Reed, the Detroit reserve big man was thrust into action once Duren went down, and he played nearly every minute for the rest of the game. Tolu Smith entered late in the fourth quarter once the Pistons had all but sealed the win, so B-Ball Paul’s 19-point, 11-rebound performance came at a critical time for Detroit without their All-Star big man.
“We just let the league know that we play a good brand of basketball every night, and we play together,” Reed said after the game.
Of course, Cade Cunningham was a factor in the Pistons second straight win with 16 points and eight assists, but the All-NBA floor general ran into foul trouble and also coughed the ball up seven times in a turnover-laden affair. Despite that up-and-down showing, the Pistons weathered the storm without Cunningham, Duren or Thompson on the floor for long stretches of play against the Heat.
From a defensive perspective, the Pistons did allow Giannis Antetokounmpo to have a quiet 36-point, 12-rebound double-double, but it was all for naught given Miami’s double-digit loss at home.
Moving forward, the Pistons will look to push their early winning streak to three games when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on the road on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 pm.