A run of 12 straight points towards the end of the game helped Miami Heat go past Detroit Pistons for a 112-100 win on Sunday.
Miami's win was led by Jimmy Butler's 26 points and 10 assists.
Bam Adebayo supplied 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for Miami (39-34). Tyler Herro had 19 points and six rebounds, Caleb Martin tossed in 13 points, and Kevin Love added 12 points and eight rebounds.
James Wiseman led Detroit (16-56) with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Cory Joseph had 16 points, Rodney McGruder contributed 15 points and nine rebounds, and Marvin Bagley III added 14 points after missing three games due to a sore ankle. Killian Hayes chipped in a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
The Pistons, who had seven players sidelined by injuries, have lost 14 of their last 15 games. Jalen Duren left the game in the third quarter after a collision with Love.
The Heat led 52-47 at halftime with the aid of an 11-0 run late in the second quarter. Martin led Miami with 10 points, while Bagley and McGruder had 12 apiece for Detroit. Bench points were key, as the Heat's reserves outscored their counterparts 17-4.
The Pistons used a 7-1 spurt, capped by a Wiseman 3-pointer, to take a 56-55 lead. A three-point play by Wiseman gave his team a 66-62 advantage.
(AI image)
A pair of Joseph baskets stretched it to 71-64. Eugene Omoruyi knocked down a long 3-pointer in the final second of the quarter, giving Detroit an 81-74 lead.
A Martin 3-pointer pulled the Heat within two points at 82-80. An Adebayo basket with eight minutes left cut it to 89-88. The Heat pulled even at 96-apiece on a Butler jumper.
Herro nailed a 3-pointer from the wing off a Butler feed with 3:20 left, giving Miami a 101-98 lead. Butler made it a five-point game with a turnaround jumper. Herro scored the next five points to put the game away.
Detroit defeated the Heat 116-96 in Miami in the first meeting between the Eastern Conference clubs on December 6.
(With agency inputs)
