The Miami HEAT defeated the Detroit Pistons 99-93 Tuesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Joe Johnson led the way for the HEAT with 25 points.
1. Cool Joe
While his play in the fourth changed the game, Johnson also had a nice burst in the third quarter when the HEAT needed a jolt of energy. The vet scored six points in the period, with most of that coming off methodical takes to the rack. On one with a little under three minutes to play in the quarter, Johnson used the screen from Udonis Haslem at the left wing and took it to the paint in his sweet spot. From there, he hit the floater despite getting fouled by Andre Drummond.
In addition to his 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, the 34-year-old also led the team with five assists against Detroit.
2. Deng Strong on Both Ends
Quite simply, Luol Deng was up to his usual tricks against the Pistons. The vet played very well on both ends for Miami, as he was one of the main reasons why the game was tied at halftime. Throughout the contest, Deng hit shots from the perimeter and also fought hard on the glass. On the flip side of the ball, he did a great job defending Marcus Morris early on and limited him to 5-of-13 shooting.
Of course, Deng also nailed the dagger three to put the HEAT up 99-91 with 24.7 seconds left. The former Blue Devil ended up with three treys on the night and finished with 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
3. Dragic Displays Toughness
While Miami had a slow start to the contest, Goran Dragic came out aggressive and mixed things up with mid-range jumpers and finishes inside. Perhaps his niftiest finish came just as the second quarter began.
On that play with 10:52 left in the quarter, Dragic drove inside from the foul line and picked up his dribble on the left block with Aron Baynes contesting. From there, the Slovenian displayed great footwork on a number of fakes before converting the layup.
Not to mention, Dragic lost one of his front teeth in the second quarter and still played through it without any hiccups. As the game progressed, Dragic also continued to knock down jumpers off some good screens. In all, the 29-year-old tallied 16 points, five boards and four assists on 8-of-15 shooting.
Game Notes:
-With the win, the HEAT are now the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
-Justise Winslow (ankle), Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder) sat out.