Feb 21, 2013; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (1) drives around Arkansas Razorbacks guard Mardracus Wade (1) during a game at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas defeated Georgia 62-60. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports
In another exciting game in Orlando, Miami got their revenge on the Pistons. The Heat went on to win by a score of 90-85 on the final day of the Orlando Summer League. The Heat only dressed eight players on Friday, as some were headed to Las Vegas for the second Summer League stint.
Detroit also was depleted on the final day. Detroit was without Khris Middleton, Slava Kravtsov, Peyton Siva, and Kim English, whom the Pistons cut last night. Andre Drummond had another stellar performance against Miami, finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play.
Another Piston who stood out was rookie shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP finished with 20 points to lead all scorers, and added 5 boards and 4 assists to his stat line as well.
Detroit came out strong to start the game, taking a 26-17 lead after one. KCP was a one man show in the first. He had 9 points and 2 rebounds, while shooting 3/3 from the field and making his only three point attempt of the quarter.
Rookie point guard Korie Lucious also contributed early in the second quarter as he knocked down two early threes. As Detroit tried to lengthen their lead in the second, the Heat stormed back to cut the deficit to six at the half, 45-39. Lucious finished with 9 points in the first half to go along with a trio of assists.
Detroit reestablished their dominance in the third behind the play of Andre Drummond and KCP. The Pistons won the third quarter (23-21) giving them an eight point advantage in the final quarter.
The Pistons sat Drummond for the rest of the game (except for one defensive possession) and the scoreboard leaned the other way as a result of that. The Heat turned up the defense and Miami guard D.J. Kennedy took full advantage of Drummond’s absence on the court. Kennedy attack the basket at will, and had no difficulty getting a shot up and over the defense.
The Heat took an 88-85 lead with just 10 seconds remaining as Detroit tried to diagram a final play. Piston Forward Ryan Evans, got a wide open look at a straight on three coming off double screens, but was unable to take advantage. The three hit off the front iron and landed in the hands of KCP for desperation three point attempt. The three rattled out, and the Heat won their final game of the Orlando Summer League by a score of 90-85.
Andre Drummond finished the Summer League with an average of 15.7 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals a game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also had a successful Summer League after getting off to a poor start early in the week. He averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in his Summer League debut.
Detroit concludes the Orlando Summer League with a total of 17 points good enough for 6th place. They posted a record of (2-3), but it could have been much better. They lost two games in the final seconds after blowing double digit leads.
The next time the Pistons take the court for a game it will be Pre-season basketball. Can’t wait!