GAME PREVIEW: Heat seek season sweep against Pistons

In their second consecutive road-road matchup, the Miami Heat will face the Detroit Pistons Sunday inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.

The Heat secured a 108-95 victory over Detroit Friday evening, outscoring the Pistons by 11 in the second half (10 in the third quarter) after leading by just two at halftime. Friday’s win snapped the Heat’s four-game losing streak and was their first double figures win since Feb. 27 against the Portland Trail Blazers (106-96).

A win Sunday could reward the Heat a season-sweep over the Pistons, who it’s beaten by one, eight and 13 points this season, respectively. But they will have to do it Sunday without superstar forward Jimmy Butler, who’s out with a foot contusion, and Tyler Herro, who’s missed the last 10 games with knee/foot injuries.

Miami is 36-30 and the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, 0.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers, one game back of the Indiana Pacers and 2.5 back of the Orlando Magic. It is 19-15 on the road this season with a plus-1.3 NET Rating in road affairs, the 10th-best in the Association.

The Pistons, meanwhile, own the NBA’s second-worst record at 12-54–despite having ample young talent in Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey, among others.

They have won three of their last five games, however, with wins over the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors. In Friday’s loss, they were led by Simone Fontecchio–who it acquired at the trade deadline from the Utah Jazz–and Jalen Duren, who hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds in addition to scoring 15 points on nine shots.

Can the Heat secure their second straight win against a feisty Pistons without their best player? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):

Miami Heat:

• Jimmy Butler (foot) — OUT
• Tyler Herro (foot) — OUT
• Nikola Jovic (hamstring) — OUT
• Kevin Love (heel) — OUT
• Josh Richardson (shoulder) — OUT
• Cole Swider (G-League) — OUT
• Alondes Williams (G-League) — OUT

Detroit Pistons:

• Buddy Boeheim (G-League) — OUT
• Quentin Grimes (knee) — OUT
• Jared Rhoden (G-League) — OUT
• Ausar Thompson (illness) — OUT

Projected Starting 5:

Miami Heat:

• Terry Rozier, G
• Duncan Robinson, G
• Jaime Jaquez, F
• Caleb Martin, F
• Bam Adebayo, C

Detroit Pistons:

• Cade Cunningham, G
• Jaden Ivey, G
• Simone Fontecchio, G/F
• Isaiah Stewart, F
• Jalen Duren, C

Betting Lines (at the time of this publishing):

• Spread: Heat -5.5
• O/U: 214
• Moneyline: Heat -230, Pistons 190

Check out those lines and more at Fanduel Sportsbook!

Broadcast Info:

• Tipoff: 3:00 p.m. EST
• TV: Bally Sports Sun
• Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
• Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)

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