The Detroit Pistons needed every last bucket, every last stop, and every bit of Cade Cunningham’s poise to survive a furious late rally by the Miami Heat. Cunningham scored 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 18 in his emotional return to Miami, and the Eastern Conference–leading Pistons escaped with a 138–135 win on Saturday night to snap a two-game skid.
Detroit (16–4) continued its stunning early-season surge, delivering its best 20-game start since opening 17–3 in 2005-06. The Pistons were powered by blistering offensive efficiency, shooting 59% from the field and piling up a monstrous 76 points in the paint. Tobias Harris was nearly automatic, going 10 for 12 on his way to 26 points, and the Pistons built multiple large leads—including a 22-point cushion with just over eight minutes left.
They needed it. Miami looked buried when Detroit went up 121–99 with 8:09 remaining, but the Heat unleashed a furious charge led by Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
Wiggins scored a game-high 31 points, Powell added 28, Herro had 24, and Adebayo finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Miami chipped away possession by possession, trimming what had been a 22-point deficit down to a single basket.
Adebayo’s putback with 34 seconds left made it 133–131, electrifying the crowd and opening the door for a potential comeback win.
But Cunningham slammed it shut. The Pistons star calmly drove and finished on the next possession to push the lead back to four, and Detroit managed to hold on through Miami’s final scramble in the closing seconds.
The night carried added meaning for Robinson, who spent his first seven NBA seasons in Miami and became one of the franchise’s great developmental success stories. From Division III Williams to Michigan to making the Heat as an undrafted long shot, Robinson became the team’s all-time leader in 3-pointers before being traded to Detroit this past summer.
His first game back didn’t disappoint. Robinson’s 3-pointer late in the first quarter ignited a 13-0 Pistons run that broke a 23-all tie and set the tone for Detroit’s offensive explosion. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has long cited Robinson’s journey as one of his favorite stories, and the Miami crowd greeted the sharpshooter warmly.
Despite Miami’s late charge, the Pistons controlled much of the game. Along with Cunningham’s steady scoring and Harris’s efficiency, Detroit repeatedly punished the Heat inside and in transition.
A 22–10 third-quarter spurt helped the Pistons restore a double-digit cushion, and their 76 points in the paint underscored their physical advantage throughout the night.
In the end, that cushion—and Cunningham’s late heroics—proved just enough.
Pistons: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Heat: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday