Giannis helps Heat melt Pistons

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points as the Miami Heat’s recent resurgence continued with a 137-117 upset of the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

Miami, who started the National Basketball Association (NBA) campaign with a dismal four-game losing streak, improved to 7-6 to move above .500 for the first time this season with a burst of scoring either side of half-time.

After outscoring the Pistons 31-21 in the second quarter, Miami followed that up with 35 points in the third quarter to pull clear of the visitors.

Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while off-season signing Klay Thompson drained six three-pointers on his way to 26 points.

Detroit star Cade Cunningham — who had scored 52 points in his previous outing on Thursday — led the Pistons with 33 points. Detroit fell to 8-4 after the loss.

“I’m in a great rhythm right now and I’m gonna try and stay in it as much as I can,” Miami veteran Thompson said. “I’m having a great time on top of all that.”

Thompson’s flurry of threes included one directly after a superb between the legs no-look pass from Antetokounmpo that resembled an NFL snap.

“That was an incredible snap, long-snapper style,” Thompson said. “That was testament to Giannis’s skill level. People get enamored with his ability to dunk and run, but my goodness — he’s like magic at times with his vision. He just knew I was in the corner.”

The Chicago Bulls also enjoyed an upset victory, taking down the high-flying Minnesota Timberwolves 117-106 on the road in Minneapolis.

The Bulls grabbed only their third win of the season to improve to 3-9 against a Timberwolves line-up looking to extend a five-game winning streak.