Blake Griffin was a winner in his Pistons debut, totaling 24 points, ten rebounds and five assists as Detroit (24-26) held off Memphis 104-102 on Thursday night. The biggest surprise of Griffin's first game since Monday's blockbuster trade was his willingness to spread the offense; all five starters finished in double figures, and Griffin was a plus-23 when he was on the court.
Andre Drummond contributed 14 points and 15 rebounds as the two big men co-existed successfully for one game at least. Detroit are looking to improve to 3-0 on their six-game home stand and win three consecutive games for the first time since December 14 to 17.
Miami (29-23) are trying to salvage a split of their four-game road swing after a 103-97 loss at Philadelphia on Friday night. The Heat made a furious fourth-quarter rally to nearly erase a 28-point deficit, coming as close as four in the final minute before running out of steam.
The Heat bench of Kelly Olynyk, Wayne Ellington, Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow outscored their starting teammates 57-40, with Olynyk scoring 19 points and Adebayo totaling 15, 13 rebounds and six assists.