Pistons injuries, how to watch and how to beat the Heat
The Detroit Pistons look for their first win of the season tonight against the Miami Heat.
Detroit has two chances to get a win in October and avoid starting the season 0-5, which would not be an ideal way to begin a year that is supposed to be better.
The Pistons have a tough start to the schedule but it is what it is, as they are going to have to play all of these teams sometime anyway.
Moral victories don’t count, and fans are sick of hearing about them, but there were some things to build on from the loss to the Celtics in which the Pistons battled back from 23 down to take the lead in the 4th quarter.
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Detroit will be shorthanded again, but this is a winnable game on the road if they carry forward a few things from the Boston game.
Pistons injuries vs. Heat
The Detroit Pistons will be missing Ausar Thompson and Bobi Klintman as they have for the first three games.
Thompson’s absence has certainly been felt, as the Pistons perimeter defense has been all over the place and they could sorely use a guy who can help fix that. We still have no idea when Thompson will return, but for now, the Pistons have to carry on as if that isn’t going to happen.
The Heat will be missing veteran Kevin Love who is out for personal reasons.
How to watch Pistons vs. Heat
If you have cable, you can watch every game on the newly dubbed FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, or you can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
Streaming options include NBA League Pass if you live out of market or you can stream FanDuel’s coverage on FuboTV with a free trial.
You will find your full Pistons streaming guide here.
How the Pistons can beat the Heat
The formula for how the Pistons can defeat Miami was on full display against the Celtics and it starts on the defensive end.
Detroit played the best defense I’ve seen them play in years in the second half against Boston, the problem is that they allowed 42 points in the first quarter. Detroit isn’t good enough to take quarters off or to have long stretches where they fall apart defensively.
They have to turn up the defensive intensity and keep it there the whole game.
Limit turnovers
This is one we’ve been talking about for years, but the Pistons aren’t good enough to turn the ball over 20 times and expect to win. Taking care of the ball allows the defense to get set up. Cade Cunningham has 16 turnovers in the last two games, so it starts with him.
Get scoring from the bench
The Pistons need players other than Cade and Jaden Ivey to score and that starts with Simone Fontecchio and Malik Beasley. If those two are hitting shots, the Pistons have a good chance, as the Heat don’t have a deep bench.
Fontecchio needs to eviscerate Alec Burks in that matchup and Ron Holland II needs to keep Jaime Jaquez Jr in check.
Get someting from Tobias Harris
We’ve still not gotten a good offensive game from Tobias Harris and that needs to change. He was 0-5 from long range against the Celtics and was really a non-factor offensively though he did grab 11 rebounds.
Harris is supposed to be a consistent 15 points for the Pistons and so far, he has not been.
Jalen Duren has to hold his own against Bam Adebayo
The Pistons immediately had their shoddy center defense exposed against the Indiana Pacers, and this was especially true when their big men were on the perimeter in space.
Adebayo is a tough matchup for Duren, as he likes to spend most of his time on the perimeter, but Duren does have a size advantage, so he needs to control the defensive boards, contest Adebayo’s shots and make him work on the other end.
Duren was better in the game against the Celtics, but the momentum shifted when he was on the bench and Stewart was defending, which we may see more of tonight if Duren struggles against Adebayo.
Close the game
The Pistons have been a bad 4th quarter team for ages and that hasn't changed so far this season. You could see them tightening up against Boston in clutch time while the Celtics took their time and took care of their business.
Detroit has to find a way to close games. They've kept the defensive energy high for the most part but seem to choke on offense, start coughing up the ball and allow the other team to go on a run that eventually seals the game.
This is the biggest factor for Detroit moving forward, as they've been a 2 or 3 quarter team so far this season and that's not enough.
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