Duncan Robinson buried seven three-pointers, scores a season-high 30 points and Bam Adebayo hits a buzzer-beater three-pointer to help lift the Heat to a 104-101 victory over the Pistons on Sunday afternoon.
To note, 29-year-old Robinson made history in the game, as he has now hit the 1,000 made 3’s milestone in his 343rd NBA game, which makes him the fastest player to reach the mark; over the course of his career he has shot 1,006-of-2,516 from deep (40% 3-PT).
Other notable players with the fewest games to make 1,000 3-PT field goals include: Buddy Hield (350 games), Luka Doncic (351 games), Donovan Mitchell (355 games), and Stephen Curry (369 games). Robinson is now averaging 13.9 points and 3.0 assists per game this season, which are both career-highs.
In a game when the Heat were missing key players Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kevin Love, Nikola Jovic, and Josh Richardson, Robinson came out firing in the first half, making five threes in his first six attempts. Robinson ended the night with 30 points (7-for-12 3-PT), four rebounds and five assists, while Adebayo scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Terry Rozier also contributed 17 points and dished out nine assists.
A key moment in the game happened with 2:00 minutes left, when Robinson was fouled on a step back three-pointer and was able to convert a four-point play, after making the free throw to give himself 30 points, the Heat’s lead was extended to 101-96.
The Pistons crawled back to tie it at 101-101, before Adebayo made a 30-foot three-point jumpshot at the buzzer, to give Miami the victory in Detroit. After the game Robinson reflected on the win, “I’m just very thankful for Bam… for him to come and hit that shot, that was huge. We battled that game, had a lead, gave it up, but just showed resolve down the stretch. Thank goodness for Bam.”
Robinson was asked about his individual accomplishment of setting a record, just down the road from where he played his college ball at the University of Michigan, “It means a lot, I’ve had a circuitous route to get where I am, I wouldn’t change any of it for anything, the adversity, basketball adversity I like to call it, highs and lows at every single level,” Robinson stated. “Just being ready for when my number is called. I’m particularly grateful that we got it in a win, so I could actually enjoy it. This was a fun one, I’m excited to do it again tomorrow.”
With a win, the Heat were able to beat the Pistons in back-to-back games, after losing their last four straight, and now improve to the seventh seed in the East with a 37-30 record.
The Pistons now fall to a 12-55 record, which is the second worst record in the NBA. The Heat will face off with the 76ers (37-30) in Philadelphia tomorrow night, while the Pistons will matchup against the team with the best record in the NBA, as they head to Boston tomorrow night to take on the Celtics (52-14).
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