Without Jimmy Butler out, the shorthanded Miami Heat needed other guys to step up. For example, Duncan Robinson scoring a season-high 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
But when it came time for the biggest shot of the night, it was Miami’s All-Star Bam Adebayo who had the ball in his hands. Cade Cunningham missed a 3 with nine seconds left, Terry Rozier brought the ball up and tried to drive, while Adebayo trailed the play and waited his turn.
Adebayo takes a 3-pointer once every three games this season. It’s not his go-to shot, but big-time players make big-time plays.
Evan Fournier scored a season-high 18 for the Pistons, while Cunningham had 17 points and nine assists but struggled from beyond the arc (1-of-6).
Adebayo didn’t.
Miami needs every win it can get. It is in a tight race with the Pacers and 76ers for seeds 6-8 in the East (with an outside shot of moving up higher than that, but Miami needs to string together wins for that to happen).
