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The Detroit Pistons are ready to begin anew on Wednesday night, as they kickoff the 2023-24 season with a road matchup against the Miami Heat. How to Watch the Detroit Pistons’ season opener against the Miami Heat - NBA (10/25/23) | TV Channel, Live Stream, Preview
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After finishing with a league-worst 17-65 record last season, the Pistons made multiple changes to be a competitive team this time around. Monty Williams comes from Phoenix, where he is two years removed from helping the Suns head to the NBA Finals. They have a healthy Cade Cunningham back in the fold, after missing all but a few games last year.
Along with Jaden Ivey, the duo are expected to be the keys to the offense in Motown. They will be without Isaiah Livers for most of this season, but have players like Ausar Thompson ready to step up defensively.
They take on a Heat team coming off a magical run to the Finals. Led by star forward Jimmy Butler and contributing players like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, Miami went from a Play-In team to taking down the best teams in the Eastern Conference, before running out of steam against the Denver Nuggets. They come into this season with most of the same faces returning, hoping to prove last year was not a fluke.
Last season, the Heat won two of the three regular-season matchups against the Pistons, both victories coming in Miami.
NBA Basketball
Detroit Pistons vs. Miami Heat
When: Wednesday, October 25
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Kaseya Center (Miami, Fla.)
Channel: Bally Sports Detroit
Killian Hayes’ Detroit Pistons (0-0) and Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat (0-0) hit the court at Kaseya Center on Wednesday, October 25, beginning at 7:30 PM ET.
Wednesday’s matchup between the Heat and the Pistons features the Heat as strong 9-point favorites. A 218.5-point over/under has been set for the game.
The Miami Heat will try to build on their second NBA Finals trip in the last four seasons when they open their 2023-24 campaign against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Miami came up short against Denver in the 2023 NBA Finals, losing to the Nuggets in five games. Detroit finished with the worst record in the league last year, going 17-65. The Pistons are playing under first-year coach Monty Williams after Dwane Casey stepped down and moved into a front-office role.
Miami has made a trip to the NBA Finals in two of the last four seasons, including last year. The Heat lost a pair of rotation players in free agency, but they returned almost all of their key players from last year's Eastern Conference title team. They added 2022-23 Pac-12 Player of the Year Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the first round of this year's draft, with the 22-year-old expected to make an immediate impact.
Veteran Jimmy Butler led the Heat in scoring with 22.9 points per game last season, and he also led the team in assists (5.3) and steals (1.8). Big man Bam Adebayo returns after averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Miami has won seven of its last eight games against Central Division opponents, while Detroit lost 12 of its final 13 games last season.
Detroit is happy to open a new era after finishing with the worst record in the NBA last season. The Pistons gave Williams the richest contract in league history, worth $78.5 million over six years. He led Phoenix to a 194-115 record over the past four seasons, and he has some young talent to work with in Detroit.
Star guard Cade Cunningham missed all but 12 games last season due to a shin injury, but he has averaged 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists through his first 76 games in the league. The Pistons also have second-year guard Jaden Ivey and No. 5 overall pick Ausar Thompson in their lineup. They have covered the spread in six of their last seven games against Miami, including a 4-0-1 mark on the road.
Two teams that had contrasting seasons last year are set to square off. Despite the Miami Heat not securing a top spot in the Eastern Conference and having to qualify for the postseason through the Play-in, they eventually emerged as the champions of the conference finals, although they later lost in the NBA finals.
Conversely, the Detroit Pistons were the worst team not only in the Eastern Conference but in the entire NBA, finishing with a dismal record of 17-65. These teams now have distinctly different goals: Miami aim for a finals rematch, while Detroit strive to make improvements and regain a playoff berth.