MIAMI – The Miami Heat’s skid has increased to nine games at the hands of Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night, 116-113. There’s no doubt that the Heat’s mental discipline will be tested after blowing another double-digit lead plus Cunningham hitting the go-ahead three-pointer to put the game away at the Kaseya Center leading to a positive Erik Spoelstra response.

“That’s a tough one. I mean, we did a lot of things very well,” Spoelstra said. “The only thing that we have to do now is you just stay the course. You stay with it. There’s no way to explain some of this. You know, the bank shot at the end. There’s no way to explain that, and you just have to find more resolve. We’re all getting tested in so many different ways that we do not want to get tested.”

“But there can be a beauty in that, in these challenges and these tests, if we just continue to stay stubborn,” Spoelstra continued.
“And you know, this group just rallies around each other and rallies their spirits around the next challenge, the next game, and that’s what I fully expect for Friday.”

Despite the loss, Bam Adebayo led the team with 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists while Tyler Herro finished with 29 points as both Kel’el Ware (12 rebounds) had Duncan Robinson had 14 points.

This now marks the 19th time the Heat blew a double-digit which leads the league, plus the 17th where they had a fourth-quarter lead and lost the contest.

Here are three takeaways from Miami’s brutal loss to Detroit:

Bam Adebayo leads Heat in strong first-half

As the Heat look to raise their spirits and snap the eight-game skid, head coach Erik Spoelstra brought out the 22nd different starting lineup which included Herro, Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, and Kel’el Ware. Jaquez is likely filling in for Andrew Wiggins who was listed out a few hours before tip-off with a lower left leg contusion.

The five have never played on the floor together once this season and it showed early on as they had three turnovers to start along with some lapses in the spacing. However, the team would start clicking for the rest of the period as they ended up shooting 52.4 percent from the field to score 32, having a 10-point lead going into the second quarter.

When fans hear the Heat have a double-digit advantage, there’s immediate panic compared to usual comfort though leads could be easily taken away in an offensive-heavy league. However, Miami’s main concerning trend this season has been sustaining double-digit leads, currently tied with the Utah Jazz at 18 losses where they blew one.

Like clockwork, the second period saw the team let go of the rope, leading Detroit to make this a close game with at one point, having the lead of their own. While the Heat would lead by two at halftime, the team let the Pistons score 36 points in the second period, shooting 53.8 percent from the field.

It would be a strong half for Adebayo who had 18 on eight for 13 shooting from the field along with Herro’s 16.

More heartbreak for the Heat in the second half

While it’s been growing pains for Heat stars Adebayo and Herro to lead without Jimmy Butler since the trade, they continued to produce inspired play in Wednesday’s game displayed in the third period. Especially by the team’s captain Adebayo who scored 10 in the frame, bringing his total to 30 as he was doing it all for Miami, showing off his competitive spirit in the hopes of snapping the skid.

Herro would score seven in the period as the rest of the team including the two stars totaled 33 points, shooting 59.1 percent from the field and even making four of their attempts from beyond the arc. Still, Detroit would make 56.5 percent of its shots from the field and three of five from deep.

As Miami has loved to do in the past, it seemed the game was heading into stress-inducing territory with a clutch game on our hands. While the Heat have been known for their fourth-quarter collapses, this was technically another one as they scored 20 in the period compared to the Pistons’ 28.

However, the team put them in a position to take the game into overtime as Herro hit free throws, but with five seconds left, Cunningham had other plans as he hit the go-ahead three-pointer with under a second left to win the game for them. In another gut punch of a loss, Miami loses their ninth straight game.

Heat missed Andrew Wiggins’ presence in loss to Pistons

Ever since the Heat traded Jimmy Butler in a package receiving Andrew Wiggins, there is no doubt the plan was for him to slot in as the third option alongside Adebayo and Herro. While there have been moments of Wiggins producing, he is still getting comfortable with his team, though his availability hasn’t been ideal.

Missing Wednesday’s contest, Wiggins now has appeared in 11 of the 19 games since he’s been on the roster as in a list of the injuries he’s sustained, the recent one is a lower left leg contusion. Spoelstra would speak before the game about Wiggins’ injury and if he has a good read on him to the point where he can inject him easily once he comes back.

“Yeah, good enough, for sure,” Spoelstra said. “I mean, he’s had some really good moments already. You can see the firepower he brings and the versatility that he brings to us defensively. And we have who we have. You know tonight, he’s not available, but we definitely can use him.”

One has to wonder how Wiggins could have impacted the heartbreaking loss Wednesday and if a third option helping Adebayo and Herro could have put them over. At any rate, Miami is now 29-40 which puts them 10th in the Eastern Conference as they have a chance to prevent a 10-game losing streak Friday against the Houston Rockets.