Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and dished out seven assists as the host Miami Heat defeated the Detroit Pistons 106-98 on Monday night.
The Heat got plenty of support from their backcourt, as Terry Rozier scored 20 points and Tyler Herro added 19 as Miami earned its first home win of the season — in two tries.
It was also Miami’s seventh straight win over Detroit, a streak that dates back to March 2023, as the Heat celebrated the unveiling of a Dwyane Wade statue just outside their arena.
Cade Cunningham had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead Detroit. However, he was held to just six points in the second half.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who went to high school in Miami and is also the son of former Heat star Tim Hardaway, added 20 points for the visitors.
But the Pistons, who had the worst record in the NBA last season, are still winless in 2024-25 (0-4).
Miami again played without forward Kevin Love, who has yet to play this season due to personal reasons.
Simone Fontecchio converted a layup with 1:05 left in the third quarter to put Detroit up 79-75. Duncan Robinson cut Miami’s deficit to one with a triple in the final seconds of the period.
The Heat then took over at the beginning of the fourth, using a 12-0 run to build a 90-79 cushion with 10:09 to go. Hardaway later sank three free throws to get the Pistons within three, 90-87, with 7:04 remaining, but that was the closest Detroit would get.
Cunningham had 13 points in the first quarter, helping Detroit take a 30-28 lead. He went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and 2-for-2 on free throws in the frame.
Rozier got hot in the second quarter, scoring 10 points to propel Miami to a 64-53 halftime lead. In the second, Miami shot 59.1 percent overall and was 5-for-11 from deep. Detroit shot just 42.9 percent from the field, including a 3-for-9 mark from beyond the arc.
Cunningham led all first-half scorers with 18 points, and there were nine lead changes and six ties in the opening 24 minutes.
–Field Level Media