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The Miami Heat will look to continue their winning ways in the 2021-22 NBA season when they take on the underperforming Detroit Pistons in their next game at Little Caesars Arena.
The Heat have won their last two games in a row. Beating the Orlando Magic 115-105 in their previous outing. Meanwhile, the Pistons are on a 14-game losing streak. The Houston Rockets defeated them 116-107 in their last game.
Match Details
Fixture - Miami Heat vs Detroit Pistons | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Sunday, December 19th, 2021; 6:00 PM ET (Monday, December 20th, 2021; 4:30 AM IST).
Venue - Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI.
Miami Heat Preview
The Miami Heat have struggled with injuries over the last few weeks. The injury list includes star players Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. In their last match, the Heat had only nine players available. Coach Eric Spoelstra opted to use just eight players in the rotation and it proved to be enough for them to claim a win.
The Miami Heat received significant contributions from all players that were active in the game. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent were the top performers, as the former scored a team-high 32 points off the bench, while Vincent had 27. Kyle Lowry did an excellent job as a facilitator, dishing out 15 dimes on the night.
The Heat continued their solid 3-point shooting streak as they knocked down 19 triples during the game. Herro and Butler are likely to miss the game against the Detroit Pistons, while Adebayo will be out for at least 6-8 weeks.
In their absence, Miami will need their available set of players to fire on all cylinders to achieve another positive result.
Key Player - Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry's leadership will be crucial for the Miami Heat, with the team currently not at full strength. Lowry was excellent in controlling the last match as the floor general for the Heat. His playmaking ability proved to be the difference and helped the likes of Vincent and Struss get better looks at the basket.
Lowry will have to do more of the same to help the Heat secure a win over the Detroit Pistons, who are eager to snap a 14-game skid.
Miami Heat Predicted Lineup
G - Kyle Lowry| G - Gabe Vincent | F - Duncan Robinson | F - PJ Tucker | C - Dewayne Dedmon.
Detroit Pistons Preview
The Detroit Pistons don't have anything going their way at the moment. They have struggled heavily at both ends of the floor. The Pistons also have to deal with the absence of Jerami Grant. He has been sidelined due to injury over their last three games and is expected to be out for at least six weeks.
The Pistons are coming off yet another underwhelming outing. They had a decent chance of winning their first match since November 17th but unfortunaty they did not perform well at all. Detroit struggled to assert themselves early on, letting Houston take a 13-point advantage into halftime. Dwane Casey's men committed 20 turnovers and conceded 25 points off them during the loss.
The Detroit Pistons did not shoot the ball well from deep either, converting only ten shots from beyond the arc from 36 attempts. Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Saddiq Bey scored 23 points on 56.3% shooting. The duo will have to try and replicate these performances to give the Pistons a decent chance of defeating the Miami Heat.
Key Player - Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham has been excellent in the majority of games during this 14-game losing streak for the Detroit Pistons. Cunningham's performances have almost guided the Pistons to a win on several occasions during that stretch. As the team's leading player, the 2021 #1 draft pick will need to continue to deliver the goods at an efficient rate to give Detroit a realistic chance in Sunday's fixture against the shorthanded Miami Heat.
Detroit Pistons Predicted Lineup
G - Cade Cunningham | G - Killian Hayes | F - Hamidou Diallo | F - Saddiq Bey | C - Isaiah Stewart.
Heat vs Pistons Match Prediction
The Miami Heat will be favored to win this contest. Despite being shorthanded, the Heat still have a better team on paper. They also have momentum on their side, owing to back-to-back wins they achieved entering this matchup. The Detroit Pistons will need to produce a season-best performance as a team if they want to prevail against Kyle Lowry and Co.
Where to watch Heat vs Pistons
Bally Sports Sun and Bally Sports Detroit will provide local coverage of the game between the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons. Fans can also view the match online via NBA League Pass.
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