Bam Adebayo had 22 points, ten rebounds, five assists, & three blocks for Miami (39-34). Tyler Herro had 19 points & six rebounds, Caleb Martin had 13 points, and Kevin Love had 12 and eight rebounds.
James Wiseman led Detroit (16-56) with 22 points & 13 rebounds. Cory Joseph scored 16 points, Rodney McGruder added 15 points and nine rebounds, & Marvin Bagley III had 14 points after missing three games with a sore ankle. Killian Hayes had a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
The Pistons have seven players sidelined to injuries and have lost 14 of their past 15 games. Jalen Duron left after colliding with Love in the third quarter.
The Heat took a 52-47 lead at halftime on an 11-0 run late in the second quarter. Martin led Miami with 10 points, while Bagley and McGruder added 12 each for Detroit. Bench scoring was key, as the Heat outscored opponents 17-4 off the bench.
The Pistons played a 7-1 spurt, and Wiseman hit a three-pointer to lead 56-55. Wiseman’s 3-pointer gave his team a 66-62 lead.
A pair of Joseph baskets made it 71-64. Eugene Omorui hit a long-range 3-pointer in the last second of the quarter to give Detroit an 81-74 lead.
Martin’s 3-pointer allowed the Heat to cut the score to two points, 82-80. Adebayo made a layup with eight minutes left to make it 89-88. Butler’s jumper put the Heat at 96 to tie the game.
With 3:20 left in the game, Herro hit a three-pointer from the wing with an assist from Butler, and Miami took a 101-98 lead. Butler tied the game for five with a turnaround jumper. Herro scored the following five points to tie the game.
Last Dec. 6, Detroit beat the Heat 116-96 in Miami in their first meeting between Eastern Conference clubs.