The Pistons bring a 7th-ranked power index into Miami, where the Heat’s offense and defensive vulnerability collide.
Detroit arrives 8-3 and ranked seventh in the power index, while Miami is 6-6 and 18th, making this a test of whether the Heat’s stronger recent winning rate can outweigh the season-long gap. Miami’s recent win percentage is .800 against Detroit’s .600, but the Heat are allowing 120.1 points per game compared with 107.8 for the Pistons. The matchup centers on Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who has 275 points and 87 assists, against Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, with 342 points and 148 rebounds. Detroit’s Jalen Duren is listed out, so Paul Reed’s 85 rebounds and the Pistons’ ability to protect the paint could shape whether Miami turns its 117.2 points per game into an edge.