Cunningham miss sets up buzzer-beating loss by Pistons
The Detroit Pistons had a chance to win Sunday afternoon, after trailing the Miami Heat by 17 points in the third quarter.
Cade Cunningham tied the game at 101 with 42 seconds remaining, and a Heat turnover on the other end gave the Pistons an opportunity to end the game with the final possession.
Instead, Cunningham launched a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left on the clock. It missed and Miami’s Terry Rozier rebounded with 7 seconds.
The Heat didn’t. Bam Adebayo splashed a deep 3-pointer, his fourth make of the season, at the buzzer, and Miami escaped Little Caesars Arena with a 104-101 victory, despite missing Jimmy Butler (foot contusion). The Heat swept the season series against the Pistons, with three of the wins taking place in the past two weeks.
Michigan alumnus Duncan Robinson stepped up for Miami with 30 points, and knocked down seven 3-pointers, with the final one a four-point play with two minutes left. That extended the Heat’s lead to five. Adebayo added 20 points and 17 rebounds.
“I liked the matchup I had, so I knew I was gonna take that on,” Cunningham said. “We had already decided I was going to go four low. I read they were about to come double me and I tried to keep my matchup. Missed the shot . ... It’s a tough loss man, that one hurt.”
Evan Fournier scored 18 points off of the bench for the Pistons, and Cunningham added 17 points and nine assists, while shooting 8-for-19. Simone Fontecchio (13 points, eight rebounds), Isaiah Stewart (12 points, six rebounds), Jalen Duren (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Jaden Ivey (10 points) also contributed double figures.
Miami led the Pistons 73-56 with 6:40 remaining
in the third quarter. The Pistons erased the deficit with a strong showing from the bench, along with tightened defense. The Heat shot 38.1% in the second half.
Second unit leads comeback
The Pistons faced their biggest deficit of the
game midway through the third quarter when coach Monty Williams made his first substitution — Fournier for Ivey. The veteran wing was a spark, scoring 11 in the second half as the Pistons closed the third with a 20-6 run that brought them within 79-73.
Stanley Umude (nine points, 3-for-5 from 3), James Wiseman and Marcus Sasser joined
Fournier and Fontecchio by the end of the quarter and sustained the momentum, helping the Pistons win the period 26-19. Umude hit two 3pointers in the third quarter and the unit held its own defensively, as Miami shot 7-for-18 in the quarter.
Fournier’s fourth 3-pointer brought the Pistons within 90-88, midway through the fourth. Cunningham checked in shortly after, setting up the thrilling finish.
Michigan’s Duncan Robinson steps up for shorthanded Heat
Robinson has been one of the Heat’s biggest developmental success stories. And the former Wolverines standout showcased every ounce of that development against the Pistons on Friday and Sunday.
After scoring 16 points and dishing five assists Friday, he stepped up with the crucial 4point play with two minutes remaining. His 30 points and seven 3s made were both season highs.
It has been a bounce-back season for Robinson, who has started 30 games and is averaging 29 minutes after falling out of the rotation last season (16.5 minutes per game in 42 appearances). He’s averaging a career-best 13.7 points per game.