The Detroit Pistons pulled off a dramatic 123-121 overtime victory over the Miami Heat in the NBA Cup opener on Tuesday night, thanks to a series of clutch plays and a critical mistake by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
With just 1.1 seconds left in overtime, the Heat held a narrow 121-119 lead after Tyler Herro’s basket. The Pistons executed a well-planned inbounds play, with Cade Cunningham lobbing a pass to Jalen Duren, who slammed it home to tie the game at 121.
Spoelstra, visibly frustrated, stormed onto the court and called a timeout, only to realize that the Heat had no timeouts remaining. This resulted in a technical foul, giving Malik Beasley the opportunity to decide the game from the free throw line and put the Pistons ahead.
A complete, uncharacteristic meltdown from Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra.
First: he gets burned by Detroit’s ATO.
Second: he calls a timeout in frustration, but he doesnt have any left. So he’s assessed a technical foul. Pistons take the lead at the line.
Third: tries to sub… pic.twitter.com/wCtAmMFPjZ
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 13, 2024
Spoelstra, who has a reputation for being one of the NBA’s most strategic coaches, took full responsibility for the blunder.
“I made a serious mental error there at the end,” Spoelstra admitted. “That’s on me. I feel horrible about it. There’s really no excuse for that.”
Erik Spoelstra on the timeout:
“I made a serious mental error at the end. That’s on me. I feel horrible about it. No excuse for that. I’m 17 years in. pic.twitter.com/TsEemetJGf
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) November 13, 2024
Despite the loss, Tyler Herro had an impressive performance, scoring 40 points and making 10 three-pointers. However, Spoelstra’s mistake overshadowed the Heat’s strong showing. The Pistons, led by Cunningham and Beasley, who each scored 21 points, managed to capitalize on the Heat’s error and secure the win.
