Heat’s Duncan Robinson continues to flash growing skill set. Also, a Nikola Jovic injury update

Duncan Robinson’s improbable story of Division III to $90 million NBA contract was made possible by his elite three-point shooting. But it’s the development of other areas of his game that has helped make him one of the Miami Heat’s most valuable players this season.

That’s why even on a day that Robinson became the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 career regular-season threes, much of the discussion was about everything else he did to help lift the Heat to a 104-101 road win against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon. Along with making a season-high seven threes, Robinson shot 3 of 3 from inside the arc to score a game-high and season-high 30 points while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out five assists in his 11th straight start to help lead the Heat to the victory.

Adebayo hits buzzer-beating three to lift short-handed Heat past Pistons. Takeaways and details

“Duncan has evolved and grown so much as a player,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said ahead of Monday’s matchup against the 76ers in Philadelphia (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun and ESPN) to complete the road back-to-back set. “He basically hit every aspect of the game offensively. The threes, the catch-and-shoot threes, the spot-up threes, the catch-and-gos, the curl cuts, the passes from aggressive coverages. ... Duncan just works at it tirelessly. He’s really improved his entire skill set.”

On Sunday, Robinson scored points on a one-handed floater from inside the paint, a layup off a cut to the basket and a driving one-handed floater off the backboard from the baseline to go with his 7-of-12 shooting from three-point range. It marked just the second time in Robinson’s NBA career that he has hit the 30-point mark, with the other time coming when he scored a career-high 34 points in an overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 10, 2019.

Robinson also assisted on three Bam Adebayo baskets, found Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the post for a fadeaway jumper that went in and then delivered a well-timed one-handed pass to a cutting Jaquez for a layup late in the game.

With the Heat missing rotation regulars such as Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, Tyler Herro and Kevin Love because of injuries, Robinson closed Sunday’s win in Detroit with a relatively high usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court) of 24.1 percent. It marks the ninth-highest usage rate Robinson has posted among the first 62 games he has played in.

“I do it in my own way,” Robinson said of stepping into a bigger offensive role on Sunday with Butler and others out. “It’s going to be different than what Jimmy does or what Tyler does, but try to be effective nonetheless.”

Robinson, 29, entered Monday averaging a career-high three assists per game and has already made a career-high 71 shots from within the restricted area this season (22 more than his previous career high of 49 such makes during the 2020-21 season).

But Sunday’s milestone of becoming the fastest player in league history to make 1,000 regular-season threes serves as a reminder of what Robinson does best.

Robinson, who entered Monday shooting an efficient 40.6 percent on 7.2 three-point attempts per game this season, also set the league record for the fewest regular-season games needed to reach 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800 and 900 made threes. He’s also the franchise leader for the most career three-pointers made by a Heat player.

Buddy Hield holds the current record for the fastest in NBA history to reach 1,100 made threes, doing it in 374 regular-season games. With Robinson at 1,006 made threes in 343 regular-season games, that milestone is within reach, too.

“We can put it to bed now,” Robinson said with a smile when asked about making more NBA history on Sunday. “After 1,000, I don’t need to hear about 1,100 or whatever it is after that. 1,000 is what it is. From there, we can call it.”

BAM’S GAME-WINNER

Adebayo’s recent three-point surge now includes a buzzer-beating game-winning three-pointer.

With Sunday’s game in Detroit tied at 101, Heat guard Terry Rozier dumped the ball to a trailing Adebayo for the game-winning 31-foot above-the-break three that went in as the final buzzer sounded. It’s the longest made shot of Adebayo’s NBA career.

“Clock running down, Terry threw me the ball,” Adebayo said. “That’s been my spot lately, shot it and made it.”

Entering Monday, Adebayo has hit a three-pointer in three straight games for the longest such streak of his NBA career.

Adebayo’s four made three-pointers this season are a new career-high. All 17 of his three-point attempts this season have come from above the break.

For Adebayo’s NBA career, he’s just 12 of 79 (15.2 percent) from three-point range. But he’s been a little more willing to put up more threes recently and that’s led to some more makes.

“It was great to see him knock that one down,” Spoelstra said of Adebayo’s game-winner on Sunday. “Look, I’ve seen our centers do three-point shooting contests all the time. They end every practice and every shootaround with that. And Bam, for the last whatever — they’re going to debate this — but the ones that I’ve seen, he’s won the last few and he’s really been working on that.”

JOVIC INJURY UPDATE

Jovic is not concerned about his strained right hamstring.

The Heat’s second-year forward, who missed Sunday’s win in Detroit with the hamstring injury, said he hopes to be back “really soon.” But Jovic will miss his second straight game with the injury on Monday, when the Heat takes on the 76ers.

“I’m feeling good,” Jovic said following Sunday’s victory. “I was thinking I was going to play today actually. … I feel like I’ll be back really soon.”

Jovic, 20, felt pain in his hamstring while logging 15 minutes in Friday’s win over the Pistons and the decision was made to give the injury some time to heal.

“It was not a certain play in the game,” Jovic said when asked when he strained his hamstring on Friday. “It was bothering me a little bit before, but never this much.”

The good news for Jovic and the Heat is an MRI was not needed and he doesn’t expect to miss an extended period of time.

“It’s nothing crazy. My hamstring just got a little pulled apart,” said Jovic, who has started for the Heat in his last 12 appearances. “An MRI was not needed, nothing special was needed. It’s just I got to strengthen it and I’ll be alright.”

Along with missing Jovic, the Heat remains without Butler (right foot contusion), Herro (right foot medial tendintis), Love (right heel bruise), Josh Richardson (season-ending right shoulder surgery), Cole Swider (G League) and Alondes Williams (G League) against the 76ers.

As for the 76ers, they remain without All-Star center Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure) for Monday’s game against the Heat. The 76ers will also be without Tobias Harris (sprained right ankle), Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise), Kai Jones (right hamstring strain), De’Anthony Melton (back) and Terquavion Smith (G League).