Miami — The Pistons haven’t had the best luck against the Miami Heat in recent years, but the latest meeting between the two teams was a game that a young team like Detroit can take pride in.
Despite a nearly-perfect shooting night from Tyler Herro, Detroit countered each scoring run from the Heat and played with a sense of urgency in the second half to prevail to a 116-96 win on Tuesday night inside FTX Arena.
The game was a tale of two halves. Herro couldn’t miss in the first 24 minutes. However, Bojan Bogdanovic stole the show in the second half and scored 28 of his team-high 31 points in the final 24 minutes to bury the Heat.
It was the Pistons’ second win over the Heat in the last seven games. Detroit improves to 7-19, while the Heat drops to 11-14.
Bogdanovic scored 14 points in the third quarter to set the tone for the Pistons after the half. The eight-year veteran came out of the halftime break more aggressive on the offensive end. He connected on six of his eight attempts and two of his three shots from the 3-point line. His scoring propelled a 31-point third quarter for the Pistons.
“(Bogey)’s just a pro,” Dwane Casey said after the game. “He knows what’s needed. We found some ways to get him open against what they were doing with us offensively, and he took advantage of it and made shots.”
Pistons guard Alec Burks also helped shoulder the load late in the game. He totaled 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. It was a welcome return for Burks’ offensive game, which has stalled over the past few games. Burks connected on 4-of-10 from the 3-point line.
BOX SCORE: Pistons 116, Heat 96
Detroit received a bonus contribution on Tuesday from Cory Joseph, who finished with 11 points and five assists off the bench.
Herro, who scored at least 29 points in all three games against the Pistons last season, began the game in as good as an offensive zone that you’ll see. He made his first seven shots, two of which were floaters as he had little difficulty getting inside the paint. After a pair of free throws, Herro capped his 11-point first quarter with a fadeaway mid-range shot over Cory Joseph to give the Heat a 25-20 lead going into the second quarter.
Herro totaled 34 points, three rebounds and six assists on 12-of-17 from the field, 2-of-4 from the 3-point line and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.
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The Heat made six of their first nine shot attempts. The Pistons missed six of their first nine attempts. The first quarter was full of defensive breakdowns. Bam Adebayo, who finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds, was the recipient of a wide-open dunk from a baseline out of bounds play, as the Pistons didn’t have anyone guarding the rim. Miami went on a 12-0 run midway through the first quarter, but the Pistons stopped the bleeding due to timely 3-pointers by Killian Hayes and Saddiq Bey.
Herro’s scoring binge continued in the second quarter as he knocked down a couple of floaters and free throws to total 18 points in the first half. Adebayo, who picked up two fouls in the first quarter, returned from his long break and took advantage of his size matchups against Detroit’s smaller guards and forwards. However, Isaiah Stewart sparked an 8-0 run for the Pistons after drilling a corner 3-pointer and converting on a layup.
Herro brought Bojan Bogdanovic to the floor after a crossover and carved his way inside the paint to find Adebayo for an easy jump hook. On the next play down, he splashed a 3-pointer to give the Heat a 47-46 lead. Grand Rapids native Floyd Mayweather, who was sitting courtside, looked up several times at the jumbotron for the replay during the timeout.
After an impressive all-around performance against the Grizzlies on Sunday, Pistons forward Saddiq Bey finished with 14 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Bey entered the game averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the last four games against Miami.
Miami guard Victor Oladipo made his season debut on Tuesday after missing 23 games due to left knee tendonitis. He finished with nine points, two rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.
The Heat were without Jimmy Butler on Tuesday — the second of Miami’s back-to-back after Monday’s loss to Memphis — due to right knee injury management. He had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes the night before.
The Pistons will look to build on their dominant win over the Heat on Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, which will mark the end of their seventh set of back-to-back games this season.
“It’s a good confidence boost, but with a young team, tomorrow may look a little bit different,” Casey said. “But that’s what we’re fighting for and coaching for, which is consistency.”
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2