Miami Heat just kept its playoff hopes alive with a comeback win over the Detroit Pistons Sunday night.
Tyler Herro scored 10 of his 19 points in the final 3:20 and the Miami Heat rallied for a 112-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Miami improved to 39-34, one game behind the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat host the Nets on Saturday.
‘This is going to be our March Madness and April Madness,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘The opportunity is right in front of us, and that’s all you can ask for at this part of the season. We are going to have to fight for it – that’s what this is all about.’
Herro´s 3-pointer gave the Heat a 101-98 lead with 3:20 left. After he and Jimmy Butler hit jumpers, Herro made another 3-pointer to put Miami up 108-98.
Tyler Herro scored 10 of his 19 points in the final 3:20 and the Miami Heat rallied to 112-100 win
It just kept the Heat’s playoff hopes alive and coach Erik Spoelstra said it will be ‘April Madness’
‘Tyler lives for those moments,’ Spoelstra said. ‘He has the clutch gene – he really does – and we know he will knock down some really tough shots when we need them.’
Butler had 26 points and 10 assists and Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who won for the third time in four games. Miami lost 113-99 in Chicago on Saturday.
‘We definitely let one slip away yesterday, so we knew we had to get one back today,’ Adebayo said. ‘I’ve been saying this all season, but we have to build on this – we have to buy into playing this way every night.’
James Wiseman led the Pistons with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Killian Hayes put up 13 points and 11 assists. Detroit has lost 14 of its last 15 games.
‘Our execution wasn’t there down the stretch,’ Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. ‘James played a hell of a game, but our transition defense is still tough. We’re getting there, but we’re not there yet.’
Detroit’s Jalen Duren and Miami’s Kevin Love left the game in the third quarter after banging heads under the basket. Love received four stitches and could have returned, but Duren was being evaluated for a brain injury after feeling ‘woozy.’
Detroit put up a 34-point third quarter, led by 12 points and five rebounds from Wiseman, and took an 81-74 lead on Eugene Omoruyi’s buzzer-beating 3-point play.
‘When I’m not getting touches, I know I have to find other ways to help us win,’ Wiseman said. ‘That means rebounding and defense.’
Jimmy Butler hit a jumper and had 26 points to help Miami win for the third time in four games
NUGGETS 105, NETS 102
Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in his 28th triple-double of the season, Michael Porter Jr. had 28 points and nine rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-102 on Sunday.
Jamal Murray scored 20 of his 25 points in the first quarter for the Nuggets, who looked nothing like the slumping team that had dropped five of six. Denver shot 62.5% in the first half and led comfortably most of the game while playing for the second straight afternoon.
Mikal Bridges scored 23 points and Nic Claxton had 19 for the Nets, who have lost three straight as they try to hold onto a top-six seed and a guaranteed postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.
BUCKS 118, RAPTORS 111
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, Brook Lopez scored 17 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Milwaukee improved to an NBA-best 51-20.
Khris Middleton added 20 points and Bobby Portis had 14 for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo had his 33rd career triple-double.
Fred VanVleet had 23 points and O.G. Anunoby added 22 for the Raptors, who had won their three previous games. Toronto missed a chance to move into eighth in the East Conference ahead of Atlanta, which lost to San Antonio 126-118.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the Bucks’ victory
THUNDER 124, SUNS 120
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, and Oklahoma City has won four of five as they try to earn at least a play-in spot.
Luguentz Dort added 20 points for the Thunder, which has missed the playoffs the past two years.
Devin Booker scored 46 points and Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists for the Suns.
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CLIPPERS 117, TRAIL BLAZERS 102
Paul George had 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers handed Portland its sixth straight loss.
Kawhi Leonard added 24 for the Clippers as they fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs. Los Angeles was sitting at fifth in the Western Conference standings just behind the Phoenix Suns.
Jusuf Nurkic finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who were in 13th in the West, well outside of playoff contention. Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists.
Assistant coach Dan Craig was the acting head coach for the Clippers because Tyronn Lue had a non-COVID illness and did not travel with the team.
Paul George had 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers handed Portland its sixth straight loss
LAKERS 111, MAGIC 105
Austin Reaves scored a career-high 35 points, D´Angelo Russell added 18 points and the Los Angeles Lakers hung on to beat Orlando.
Anthony Davis had 15 points and 11 rebounds on another rough shooting night, but Reaves carried the Lakers to victory with 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers entered this game off back-to-back losses to Houston and Dallas, imperiling their tenuous position in the playoff race. This win put Los Angeles (35-37) in ninth in the Western Conference, tied with Minnesota.
Rookie Paolo Banchero scored 21 points for Orlando, but got an unwise technical foul with 25.3 seconds to play after repeatedly arguing with officials during the night. Franz Wagner also scored 21 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Magic´s sixth loss in eight games.
SPURS 126, HAWKS 118
Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell had 29 points each and San Antonio rallied from a 24-point deficit to spoil Dejounte Murray´s homecoming.
Murray had 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds in his first game in San Antonio since being traded to Atlanta in the offseason.
Zach Collins added 19 points for the Spurs, who snapped a two-game skid.
Onyeka Okongwu had 17 points and Clint Capela had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks.
PELICANS 117, ROCKETS 107
Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum each scored 26 points and New Orleans closed the gap to a half-game behind Utah for the final spot in the play in tournament with 11 games left.
Jonas Valanciunas had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Trey Murphy III had 14 points and Herbert Jones scored 13 for the Pelicans, which shot 49%, including 13 of 31 on 3´s.
Jalen Green scored 40 points, his fourth game scoring at least 40 points this season, Kevin Porter Jr. added 25 and Tari Eason had 10 points for Houston, which saw its season-high three-game winning streak snapped.
