Pistons vs Heat final score: Griffin-less Pistons fall in overtime, 120-115

The Detroit Pistons lost to the Miami Heat, 120-115, in overtime. Andre Drummond had 25 points and 24 rebounds, Reggie Jackson had 25 points and six assists, and Blake Griffin scored 24 points and pulled down 15 rebounds for the Pistons before fouling out in regulation. Josh Richardson led the way with 27 points for the Heat.

* exhale *

That game was really ugly, y’all. Tied through halftime, then the Heat score 34 points in the third quarter to take the lead despite Langston Galloway keeping the Pistons in it. Pistons chip away at the lead for most of the fourth, and then Miami just goes completely cold down the stretch:

Ok, Miami misses free throws, Andre tips in a Reggie Jackson miss to force OT, and we’re feeling good despite Blake fouling out. Overtime is going back and forth, neither team can put together consecutive stops... and then Glenn Robinson III (who started, was a team-high +18 in his 30 minutes of action, and had given the Pistons everything they could have possibly asked for) missed a wide-open corner three that would’ve given the Pistons the lead late. Pistons are forced to foul, there’s a generous interpretation of the Clear Path foul rule, and yeah, Detroit is now 0-5 in their last five games.

I said before the game that this was the type of game the Pistons needed to find a way to win, and they didn’t. And, honestly, they didn’t really deserve to be in that game - they turned the ball over 20 times, shot 31 percent from three, and missed 10 free throws; not exactly a winning combination of stats. However, when the game is that close, and the other team is trying valiantly to hand you a win, you have to find a way to seize it from them, and the Pistons didn’t do that tonight.

Ok, other stuff:

• I glossed over Langston Galloway’s play, but his big third quarter kept the Pistons relatively afloat when the game was REALLY in danger of getting away from them in the third quarter:

The Pistons need Langston to hit shots, so it was good to see him do that tonight.

• Bruce Brown got fully Keith Bogans’d, playing 12 minutes (aka the first six minutes of the first and third quarters and no other time) and not even getting considered when Josh Richardson was tearing up the Pistons.
• I didn’t think Stanley had a terrible game in a new role off the bench, but then I look at the box score and he was a team-low -21 in 14 minutes despite only shooting twice and only turning the ball over once. The puzzle of Stanley Johnson persists.
• Reggie Jackson looked alive with the ball in his hands and no Blake Griffin on the court in overtime - scoring and distributing like we all know he’s capable of. The Pistons are better when Reggie is contributing, and Reggie contributes best attacking in the PNR. Dwane Casey has to find time and space for that.
• Blake Griffin’s sixth foul was on a “hustle play” he had no chance at. Blake has to be smarter than that with five fouls.
• I’m absolutely sure I’m not thinking of some stuff - let me know what I missed in the comments.

The Pistons travel to Orlando to play the Magic Wednesday at 7 p.m.