Jerami Grant, Blake Griffin, Mason Plumlee and Derrick Rose did all the scoring in two third-quarter bursts Saturday night that allowed the Detroit Pistons to overcome a halftime deficit en route to a 120-100 victory over the host Miami Heat.
The teams will meet in a rematch, also at Miami, on Monday.
The Heat returned four key players from COVID protocol — Bam Adebayo, KZ Okpala, Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn — and they combined for 63 points. But it wasn’t enough to overpower Detroit’s four-man attack.
Miami led 56-52 at halftime before Detroit sprinted into the lead with a 16-5 burst to start the third quarter. Grant triggered the run with a pair of 3-pointers and accounted for eight of the 16 points, while Griffin had five and Plumlee three.
The Heat hung within 71-68 at the 5:43 mark of the period before the Pistons flurried again. This time it was a game-breaking 16-2 run, with Rose chipping in with a 3-pointer and a three-point play, while Griffin added five points, Grant three and Plumlee two.
The spree opened an 87-70 lead, after which the Heat got no closer than 12.
Grant finished with a team-high 24 points and Rose 23 points off the bench for the Pistons, who hadn’t played since Wednesday after having a matchup with Washington postponed Friday due to Wizards COVID issues.