The Miami HEAT host the Detroit Pistons Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Get your tickets now! The HEAT fell to the Pistons 107-84 in their last meeting on November 23. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM. Television coverage on FOX Sports Sun begins at 5:30 PM. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.
1: What have you seen from the play of Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson lately?
Couper Moorhead: These two were the main bright spots on offense against Boston on Friday and the driving force behind Miami’s in-it-until-the-end performance on the second night of a back-to-back without Goran Dragic. Richardson and Johnson combined for 14 of Miami’s incredible 35 assists, with Richardson in particular making some tough pocket and long-baseline passes that we haven’t always seen from him – a sign that his point-guard skills are improving. While there isn’t much of an option with Dragic out, the HEAT have been challenging both of these young guards with a hefty dose of playmaking responsibilities when they could have easily just kept them in roles they were most comfortable in, so it’s good to see games like this where steps are clearly being made forward.
But it was the shooting against Boston, and for much of the past week, that has really stood out. Against a number of disciplined, athletic defenses this week – teams that can swarm the paint as well as anyone – both Richardson and Johnson confidently took the shots available to them and knocked them down with consistency. Being good spot-up shooters in one thing, and despite Richardson’s injuries this season we know he should be that, but being able to create a quick shot off the dribble either coming off a screen or shaking a defender is a highly valuable skill for guards of any role in the modern NBA. Eventually the team as a whole will want to turn some of those mid-range looks back into rim attacks, but it’s good to see the off-dribble skills developing nonetheless.
Joe Beguiristain: Before I get into Richardson and Johnson, let’s take a moment to acknowledge how crazy that game was on Friday night. Despite the loss, the HEAT tallied a season-high 35 assists on 48 made field goals and had six guys score in double-figures. That said, Isaiah Thomas was a one-man wrecking crew, as the point guard scored 52 points, including 29 in the fourth quarter, to will Boston to a narrow victory.
While Miami fell just short, Johnson and Richardson continued to show growth and development on both ends of the floor. In particular, Johnson often answered Thomas down the stretch with jumpers of his own to stop the bleeding. In fact, the 24-year-old led the HEAT with 11 points in the fourth quarter. As a whole, Johnson knocked down some of his usual set-shots in addition to mid-range jumpers off screens.
Richardson, meanwhile, did pretty much the same thing and also led the team with eight assists and four steals on the evening. Like Coup said above, the 23-year-old made some passes that he didn’t make too often last year. Throughout the contest, the young man did a good job of probing his dribble and looking for his teammates if nothing was there after initially getting into the paint. On the flip side of the ball, Richardson used his length and athleticism to wreak havoc on the Celtics.
In all, it’s been encouraging to see the improvement of two young guys Miami has brought up through its system and culture.
2: What did we learn from Miami’s Thanksgiving-week loss to Detroit?
Couper: This game took place back before Reggie Jackson returned to the lineup, but in his stead the Ish Smith-Andre Drummond pick-and-roll was running just fine as the Pistons were +33 with Drummond on the floor. The efficiency of that offensive format wasn’t news, however, as Detroit running a four-out, Drummond-focused pick-and-roll has become one of the most recognizable styles in the league during Stan Van Gundy’s short tenure.
What was more noteworthy was that this was one of Miami’s toughest offensive games of the season as the team posted an Offensive Rating of 90.2 on 36 percent shooting. While we don’t know what Goran Dragic’s status is for Sunday yet (he missed the Boston game with back spasms), Miami’s offense looks much more comfortable a month later than it did back in Detroit before Dragic really broke out.
Joe: In that last matchup on November 23, the Pistons showed good offensive balance with five guys scoring in double-figures. As Coup mentioned above, Reggie Jackson was still out with knee and thumb injuries, but that didn’t really hinder Detroit too much. To be fair, Justise Winslow was also out for that game due to a sore left wrist. Although the Pistons fared well against the HEAT without Jackson, the point guard adds a whole other dimension to their pick-and-roll game.
On the offensive end, Miami struggled a bit the last time out against Detroit. That said, both T. Johnson and James Johnson provided a spark off the bench. Sounds familiar, right? All season long the HEAT’s reserves have been quite good. In fact, Miami’s bench is ranked seventh in the league with 43.3 points per game over the team’s last six contests. We’ll see if they can keep up their stellar production on Sunday evening.
3: How has Detroit been playing since Jackson’s return?
Couper: While Jackson is clearly an important, core player for the Pistons the team is only 4-10 since his return to the lineup – a run that hasn’t included any road trips longer than two games. During that fourteen game stretch, the Pistons have actually had the least efficient offense in the league at 100.3 points per 100 possessions. Some of that has been Jackson slowly rounding into shape with a true-shooting percentage hovering around 50 percent, but with a team assist rate hovering around league average, low turnovers and the best defensive rebounding in the team it seems shooting has been an issue in a system designed around creating open threes (Detroit is shooting 32.6 percent from three since Jackson’s return).
Joe: Surprisingly, things have been tough for the Pistons since Jackson’s return on December 4. Case in point: Detroit has tallied a minus-6.1 net rating in the 14 games he’s played in. Still, Jackson is vital to the Pistons’ offense and remains one of the more dangerous pick-and-roll threats in the league. With more time to get his legs under him, things should improve. There’s always an adjustment period whenever a player returns from injury, not to mention one where you miss the entire first month of the season.
Highlights:
Game Notes:
- The HEAT are 10-24, while the Pistons enter the contest at 15-20.
- Tyler Johnson is averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game on 49.4 percent shooting in his last six.
- Tobias Harris leads Detroit in scoring at 16.2 points per game.
Efficiencies (Rank):
- HEAT Offense: 100.8 (28)
- HEAT Defense: 103.9 (12)
- Pistons Offense: 102.2 (21)
- Pistons Defense: 103.2 (7)