Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 119-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons (28-30) on Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
1. This loss was painful for the Heat (26-32). Miami’s matchup against Detroit came with playoff implications, with the defeat pushing the Heat down to 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.
While a win would have put the Heat ahead of the Pistons for the East’s eighth and final playoff spot, No. 10 Miami is now percentage points behind No. 9 Orlando, 1.5 games behind No. 8 Charlotte and two games behind No. 7 Detroit.
Another reason Saturday’s loss was especially painful for the Heat?