SoFla Guide Editors
Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps doing his part. The rest of the Miami Heat? Still a work in progress. Antetokounmpo poured in 36 points Friday night, but the Detroit Pistons rolled past Miami 128-111 at Kaseya Center, ESPN and the Associated Press reported, leaving the Heat at 0-2 and a lot of fans staring at the ceiling.
What happened at Kaseya Center
This one got away early. Like, before-you-found-your-seat early.
Detroit opened the game on a 17-2 run and led 65-53 at halftime, according to ESPN. The Pistons led wire-to-wire, the Associated Press reported, which means Miami never had a single moment on top all night in its own building.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 36 points on 15-of-26 shooting, going 1-of-3 from three and 5-of-8 at the line, according to the Heat’s official site on NBA.com. He added 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block in 33 minutes. That’s a monster stat line in a game his team lost comfortably.
Detroit’s scoring came from everywhere. John Collins scored 23 points and Paul Reed added 19 off the bench, the Associated Press reported via Yahoo Sports. Former Heat guard Duncan Robinson, a familiar face around here, scored 17 against his old team, and Cade Cunningham finished with 16, according to the AP. Watching Robinson hurt Miami from the other side is the kind of plot twist nobody at the arena ordered.
Bam Adebayo had a rough night. He was limited by early foul trouble, Yahoo Sports reported, and it marked just the sixth game since the start of the 2019-20 season that he finished with four or fewer points while playing at least 20 minutes.
“It was just frustrating. To have the three fouls in the first half … that definitely changed the dynamic for Bam,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, via Yahoo Sports.
Giannis is making history, just not wins
Here’s the strange part of this 0-2 start: the new guy has been spectacular.
Antetokounmpo, who joined Miami in 2026 after spending 2013 to 2026 with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN, scored 35 in the season opener against Minnesota. That debut broke LeBron James’ franchise record for most points in a Heat debut, Yahoo Sports reported. James had 31 on Oct. 26, 2010.
Add Friday’s 36 and Antetokounmpo became the first player in Heat history to score 30 or more points in each of his first two games with the franchise, according to Yahoo Sports and HITC.
So the scoring is there. The problem is on the other end, where Detroit put up 128 points and controlled the game from the opening tip.
Spoelstra, for his part, didn’t sound like a coach hitting the panic button. “I felt like our process was right tonight. And I know that’ll seem crazy, starting the game with a 17-2 run. But I felt like we were getting a lot of good quality shots. And I thought we were making the right reads,” he said, via Yahoo Sports.
He also made it clear the locker room is invested in making the Giannis experiment work.
“We wanted it to go well, not only for him, but for us. He really cares. He wants this to work. His teammates really want this to work. We’re going to get there. It’s just not on our timeline right now, not exactly how we wanted to start the season,” Spoelstra said, according to ESPN.
Is the Giannis era in crisis?
Deep breath, Heat Nation. It’s two games.
That’s not nothing, especially when both came with a superstar putting up big numbers in a losing effort. But Spoelstra framed the rough start as a test of character more than a referendum on the roster.
“I think this is a great opportunity. We’re getting to know each other now. Everything was great in September, barbecues and all this stuff. You get to know each other for real when you feel a little bit of adversity, how all of us respond,” he said, via Yahoo Sports.
Translation for the 305: the honeymoon is over, and now the real relationship starts.
The night also came with a side of social media drama. NFL legend Chad Johnson was reportedly courtside and was mocked by NBA fans online after the blowout, according to Yahoo Sports. Getting roasted for a loss you didn’t play in is a very internet way to spend a Friday.
What’s next for the Heat
Miami doesn’t get much time to stew. Spoelstra said the team heads out on the road on a quick turnaround, and he sounded almost glad about it.
“Probably the best thing for us to do is go on the road with a tough turnaround, with less than 24 hours to play our next game. I think that’s what our team needs,” he said, via Yahoo Sports.
Sometimes the cure for a bad night at home is getting right back on the court somewhere else. For a team with a record-setting new star and a defense still searching for answers, the next game can’t come fast enough.
