Cade Cunningham too much, as Heat comeback falls short

With the Miami Heat on a six game winning streak heading into this game, the first seeded Detroit Pistons came into the building on Saturday night to try and break that up.

The Pistons were coming off a down to the wire loss in Orlando just a night ago, leaving Jalen Duren out for this game in Miami. As for the Heat, Jaime Jaquez Jr was ruled out before the game due to that lingering groin injury.

That meant an opportunity for Nikola Jovic came about, while the Heat went nine deep with Simone Fontecchio on the outside looking in this time around.

So let's get into some takeaways from tonight:

1. Dealing with Cade Cunningham and the Pistons offense.

Mar 19, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts after scoring against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

19 points and 5 assists would be a solid stat-line for most in an NBA game, yet that was Cade Cunningham's numbers at half as the Heat struggled to slow him down. Tyler Herro was being put in a ton of defensive actions in this one, as mismatch hunting was their early plan. Yet once Cunningham got any source of some downhill motion, it ended in an easy basket at the rim. Even positive defenders like Davion Mitchell and Dru Smith couldn't find an answer, since they just can't match that physicality and size. He's a tough cover for sure, but Miami couldn't find a coverage to slow him down much. Matter of fact, they weren't able to match the offensive toughness and size of this Pistons team all the way down the roster. Simply not a good match-up.

2. Thoughts on the Tyler Herro-Norman Powell experience.

Nov 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

In the debut of this back-court on Wednesday, Herro had it going while Powell pretty much drifted for much of the night. Now watching this first half against Detroit, even with some flashes of the usual Powell scoring punches, a 2 for 11 shooting start for Herro restricted some things. This shouldn't be any type of overreaction for these two together, but there should be an acknowledgement that it is an adjustment. Figuring out how to activate them in their own lineups throughout is part of this, especially when the team is without Jaquez. But figuring out how to leverage them together is crucial too. It's only game two of this experiment, but it's an important trend to track.

3. What has changed in this new look offense?

Nov 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) dribbles the ball against Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Although the defense should be the primary concern, there is some public curiosity regarding the Heat's offensive slippage compared to its early season levels. Herro coming back didn't bog down the offense, yet bringing back any scorer of his caliber leads to an adjustment period. Bigger than one player, teams are just defending it differently. So much of the success was coming in the paint, or on open kick threes when teams help. The difference now? Teams aren't helping as much. If a random wing iso attack is created, a lot of the defensive principles are to stay home and force Miami into a tough two. Until they start creating some real perimeter overreactions with a pop from three, teams will stick to this formula.