Epic Detroit Pistons rally from 22 down falls short in loss to Heat

A weary Detroit Pistons team, not exactly fresh off of a five-game West Coast trip, couldn't muster the energy needed to complete a comeback against the Miami Heat.

They cut a 22-point third-quarter deficit to two in the final minute but fell short, falling to the Heat, 118-112. Cade Cunningham led them with 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Marcus Sasser scored 18 points off of the bench. Isaiah Stewart added six points, four rebounds and five blocks. Norman Powell led all scorers with 36 points.

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A late 9-0 Pistons run cut an 11-point deficit to two, 114-112, with 46 seconds remaining. Ausar Thompson split a trip at the free throw line, and then Cunningham knocked down a 3-pointer and came up with a steal that led to an open dunk for Thompson on the other end.

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With 45.7 seconds left, Javonte Green knocked down a 3-pointer. It ended up being the Pistons' last score of the night — Jaime Jaquez Jr. made a layup on the other end, and Davion Mitchell stole the ensuing inbounds pass from Thompson. Norman Powell made two free throws to extend the Heat's lead to six and ice the win.

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Tobias Harris (left hip sprain) and Caris LeVert (left knee inflammation) both missed the game, and Jalen Duren joined them on the injury report after spraining his right ankle in the first half. It was LeVert’s second straight absence and Harris’ first, after leaving Tuesday’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers with the injury during the first quarter.

The loss dropped the Pistons to 25-9, 1½ games up on the New York Knicks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and 6½ games up on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division. Coincidentally, those are the teams the Pistons face next, with a trip to Cleveland for a matinee Sunday (2 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) followed by a return home for a visit from the Knicks on Monday (7 p.m., Peacock).

Marcus Sasser leads second-half run

For the second game in a row, the third-year guard delivered big minutes off of the bench. He knocked down four 3-pointers during a 25-9 Pistons run that cut a 22-point deficit to six, 98-92, with about nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

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He knocked down three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the final period, and then added a pair of free throws at the 2:53 mark to bring the Pistons back within single digits, 112-103. His 11 points in the fourth led the team.

A right hip impingement sidelined Sasser through the first six weeks of the season. He didn’t make his season debut until Dec. 6, and played scant garbage time minutes through four games until Tuesday, when he scored 19 points in 24 minutes in a 128-106 blowout road win over the Lakers.

Sasser’s ability to serve as an offensive sparkplug off of the bench was exactly what the Pistons needed on Thursday. They appeared to have dead legs a day after concluding a five-game West Coast trip. The Heat were firmly in control of the game prior to Sasser’s first 3-pointer late in the third quarter, which brought them within 14 points and extended an 8-0 run.

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Duren exits with ankle sprain

The big man rolled his ankle midway through the second half and went back to the locker room with 54.3 seconds left until halftime. Duren started the second half but moved gingerly before subbing out for good with 8:47 to play in the third quarter.

With Duren, Harris and LeVert all out, Paul Reed played 12 minutes in the second half. The Pistons will have two days off to get healthy before they return to action Sunday.

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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons epic rally from 22 down falls short in loss to Heat