Detroit Pistons vs Miami Heat Prediction & Match Preview - January 18th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
In their second game of the 2020-21 NBA against the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons will stay in South Beach on Monday. The Detroit Pistons had emerged victorious with a 120-100 win against the undermanned Miami Heat on Saturday.
With several key players missing due to the league's stringent COVID-19 protocols, the Miami Heat have their task cut out to get one over the Detroit Pistons.
Check out the first-half schedule of the 2020-21 NBA season here.
Match Details
Fixture - Detroit Pistons vs Miami Heat | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Monday, January 18th, 3:00 PM ET (Tuesday, January 19th, 1:30 AM IST).
Venue - AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL.
Detroit Pistons Preview
Though they remain bottom of the league’s standings with a 3-8 record, the Detroit Pistons have a shot at winning two straight games if they can take advantage of a Miami Heat team riddled with injuries to key players.
For that to happen, the likes of Jerami Grant, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose will have to come to the party for the Detroit Pistons like they did against the Miami Heat last week.
The Detroit Pistons would try to build on the momentum generated from Saturday’s win and look to complete the double over the Miami Heat.
Key Player - Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant has been having a ball in his first season with the Detroit Pistons.
A potential All-Star this year, Grant is averaging career-best figures across the board with 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steal and 1.4 blocks per game. He is also shooting a career-high 39.3% from beyond the arc.
He is definitely in line to win the 'Most Improved Player' of the season.
Grant will look to test the Miami Heat defense for the second straight game. He scored 24 points in his last meeting against last season's finalists. However, the 26-year-old forward could have his task cut out.
Detroit Pistons Predicted Lineup
G Delon Wright G Wayne Ellington F Jerami Grant F Blake Griffin C Mason Plumlee.
Miami Heat Preview
The Miami Heat have lost a plethora of players to the league’s COVID-19 protocols, but head coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t making any excuses.
The Miami Heat would, however, hope for a better result against the Detroit Pistons when the two teams renew acquaintances again.
Without Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat's undisputed leader, the Heat have struggled for consistency, and that has reflected in their performances during the season.
Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo returned to action in the Miami Heat’s last game, but their exploits were not enough to derail the Detroit Pistons.
Spoelstra will probably tweak his starting lineup in a bid to beat the Detroit Pistons.
Key Player - Bam Adebayo
With Jimmy Butler out for the fourth consecutive game, the onus is on Bam Adebayo to keep the Miami Heat afloat.
However, Adebayo’s rebounds (8.8) are down from what he conjured (10.2) last season (8.8 per game from 10.2), but his scoring (18.6) is up by almost three points a game during the same period.
For the Miami Heat to recover from their three-game skid, Adebayo will have to man the paint both offensively and defensively.
Miami Heat Predicted Lineup
G Kendrick Nunn. G Duncan Robinson. F KZ Okpala. F Kelly Olynyk. C Bam Adebayo.
Pistons vs Heat Match Prediction
The Detroit Pistons are hoping their last win against the Miami Heat wasn’t a fluke by winning at the AmericanAirlines Arena for the second straight game.
However, that may not be an easy task, as the Miami Heat have found some form of stability after some of their top players returned in their previous game. Nevertheless, it will likely be an uphill battle for the injury-depleted Miami Heat.
It remains to be seen if Bab Adebayo rises to the fore and inspires the Miami Heat to a win over the Detroit Pistons.
Where to watch Pistons vs Heat?
The Detroit Pistons-Miami Heat game will be televised locally on FOX Sports Detroit and FOX Sports Sun. International viewers can live-stream the game on the NBA League Pass.
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