John Collins scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Paul Reed finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 128-111 victory over the host Miami Heat on Friday night.
The Pistons (2-0) led wire to wire after scoring the game’s first 11 points and built a lead of as many as 23 in the third quarter.
The Heat (0-2) never got closer than eight points after Detroit’s early surge despite another strong outing from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 36 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists for his first double-double in a Miami uniform.
Collins, who shot 5-of-6 from 3-point range, helped Detroit build a 22-5 lead and spearheaded a 47.4% effort from beyond the arc (18-of-38). The Pistons shot 52.8% from the field (47-of-89), with former Heat guard Duncan Robinson making five of 10 3-point attempts and finishing with 17 points.
It was another subpar defensive effort for Miami, which allowed 21 3-pointers and 131 points in its season-opening loss to Minnesota on Wednesday.
The Heat were hampered in the first half when Bam Adebayo picked up three fouls in the first quarter and sat with 1:13 remaining. Adebayo did not return until the start of the second half. He finished with just four points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals before fouling out.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham committed seven turnovers but finished with 16 points and eight assists. Daniss Jenkins scored 15 points, while Isaiah Joe chipped in 12.
Miami made 15 3-pointers but shot just 29.4% from long range on 51 attempts. Davion Mitchell totaled 18 points and five rebounds, while Bobby Portis Jr. had 11 points and eight rebounds. The Heat shot just 38.2% from the field.
Pistons center Jalen Duren left with 6:45 remaining in the second quarter due to a right thigh injury and did not return. He finished with four points and six rebounds in 10 minutes.
–Field Level Media
