Detroit — The Detroit Pistons opened the 2026 calendar year with a 118-112 loss to the Miami Heat, Thursday night, inside Little Caesars Arena.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 31 points while going 17-of-18 from the foul line, to go along with 11 assists and seven rebounds. Marcus Sasser came up huge off the bench by attributing 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also accounted for four of Detroit’s eight made 3-point field goals.
Norman Powell led Miami with a game-high 36 points, 15 of which came during the third quarter. Bam Adebayo added a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Jalen Duren was on track for another dominant performance, but he turned his ankle late in the second quarter. He attempted to play at the beginning of the third quarter but left the game a few minutes into the second half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
