Pistons’ rally falls short as Heat win 4th straight

Norman Powell poured in 36 points as the visiting Miami Heat downed the Detroit Pistons 118-112 on Thursday night.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points off the bench while Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and seven rebounds in the Heat's fourth straight victory. Bam Adebayo supplied 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Reserve Marcus Sasser contributed 18 points, while Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson had 12 points each. Duren played only 18 minutes due to a sprained right ankle as Detroit lost for the third time in four games.

Powell had 19 points by halftime, including five 3-pointers, as the Heat took a 63-54 lead. Jaquez scored 13 by the break, while Cunningham led Detroit with 17 points.

Cunningham also scored the first points of the second half on two free throws. Miami then assumed command by scoring 15 unanswered points.

Adebayo started it off with a putback dunk. Mitchell knocked down consecutive 3-pointers, then fed Andrew Wiggins and Powell for layups. A three-point play by Powell finished off the outburst and gave the Heat a 78-56 lead.

Powell hit a 3-pointer with 3:46 left in the quarter to make it 89-67. The Pistons then chipped away, going on a 14-5 run the remainder of the quarter to pull within 13 entering the fourth.

Paul Reed's putback with 9:37 remaining cut Detroit's deficit to 98-89. Sasser followed with a 3-pointer to cut Miami's lead to six.

That's as close as the Pistons would get until the final two minutes. Adebayo hit a key 3-pointer with 5:12 remaining to push the Heat's lead to 110-99.

Detroit wouldn't go away. Cunningham made a 3-pointer, then fed Thompson for a dunk to pull his club within five at 114-109. Green made it a two-point game with a 3-pointer after a Powell miss.

Jaquez's basket with 29 seconds left gave Miami some breathing room. Following a Detroit turnover, Powell clinched the Heat's win with two free throws.