Antetokounmpo powers Heat past Pistons for seventh win in last nine

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Nov 14, 2026

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MIAMI — Amid the 0-4 doubts at the start of the team’s Giannis Antetokounmpo era, the Miami Heat vowed better days ahead.

These are those days.

With Saturday night’s 137-117 decision over the Detroit Pistons at Kaseya Center, the Heat extended their winning streak to four and made it seven victories in their last nine games, moving over .500 for the first time this season, at 7-6.

Against a Pistons team that lacked All-Star Jalen Duren and then lost former Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson in the first half due to thigh soreness, Erik Spoelstra’s team offered no mercy.

Instead, Klay Thompson returned from an injury absence of his own to go for 26 points, with Antetokounmpo leading the way for the Heat with 34 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots.

The Heat also got 20 points from Bam Adebayo and 15 points and nine assists from Davion Mitchell.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points, with no other Detroit starter scoring more than 10.

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

— 1. Game flow: The Pistons led 39-37 after the first quarter, with the Heat then moving to a 68-60 halftime lead.

Attrition and foul trouble then took a toll on the Pistons in the third period, with the Heat pushing their lead to 103-86 going into the fourth.

The Pistons trimmed their deficit to nine early in the fourth quarter, but the Heat then pushed their lead to 19 after Antetokounmpo returned with 7:31 to play.

— 2. Giannis’ night: The Pistons, playing in the ongoing injury absence of Duren, elected to go small, with John Collins, a career forward, starting at center.

Antetokounmpo seized on the lack of Pistons size to close the first half with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, at 8 of 9 from the field at that stage.

At one point in the third, it appeared as if Antetokounmpo asked Spoelstra to be taken out, as he limped up the floor after blocking a Paul Reed’s shot. He then was subbed out in favor of Adebayo.

Earlier, Antetokounmpo in the third quarter asked Spoelstra to challenge when he was called for a charging foul, with the Heat winning that challenge.

Antetokounmpo closed 13 of 17 from the field, Detroit offering little to no deterrence to his head-down attacks on the rim.

— 3. Klay’s back: Thompson was back after missing Friday’s game due to ankle soreness sustained during his late-game chase-down block in Tuesday night’s road victory over the Utah Jazz.

Thompson opened by draining a pair of 3-pointers, including one Antetokounmpo hiked through his legs after nearly losing the ball for a turnover.

Thompson scored eight of the Heat’s first 18 points, before being subbed out when called for his second foul in the opening period.

He then scored seven consecutive Heat points early in the second half to stake the Heat to a 77-66 lead and force a Detroit timeout with 10:10 left in the third quarter.

He closed 10 of 17 from the field, including 6 of 11 on 3-pointers.

— 4. Rotation realignment: With Pelle Larsson missing a second consecutive game due to illness, Myron Gardner got a second consecutive start.

Spoelstra further adjusted his rotation with minutes for Simone Fontecchio at the start of the second period.

Fontecchio then goaded Ausar Thompson into a third foul 52 seconds into that second period, forcing the former Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest standout to the bench, with just 2:35 of action in the first half.

Then, when Klay Thompson was called for his third foul with 7:17 left in the second period, Nikola Jovic was brought out of the Heat deep freeze, his first action in four games.

— 5. Onward: The Heat’s five-game homestand continues with a Monday night game against the Houston Rockets, meaning a matchup with Ausar Thompson’s twin brother, Amen Thompson.

From there, there is a Wednesday night game that pits Antetokounmpo against the Bucks for the first time, in a game Milwaukee will arrive with former Heat players Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis.

The homestand concludes a week from Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.