The Miami Heat’s offense has been performing at peak efficiency at home recently, and they’ll look to keep the momentum going when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
Miami enters the game on a four-game winning streak, with all those victories coming during a homestand. The Heat have averaged 122.8 points per game during this stretch.
However, center Bam Adebayo has a different perspective on the streak.
After experimenting early in the season, coach Erik Spoelstra has solidified a starting lineup consisting of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, and Adebayo. This lineup has proven effective, with Miami boasting an 8-2 record in games they have started together.
The Heat’s last visit to Detroit on November 12 didn’t end well, particularly for Spoelstra. The game went to overtime, and Spoelstra called a timeout he didn’t have with the score tied. This resulted in a technical foul, and Malik Beasley’s free throw with 1.1 seconds left gave Detroit a 123-121 victory.
In that game, Detroit had seven players scoring in double figures, led by Beasley and Cade Cunningham, each with 21 points.
The Pistons have struggled recently, losing four of their last five games and eight of their last 11. They ended a three-game losing streak with a 120-111 victory over the New York Knicks on December 7, but then suffered a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, 123-99, in their only game last week.
Detroit’s perimeter defense has been particularly weak, ranking in the bottom five in the league in three-point shooting percentage allowed (37.7 percent).
