New-look Pistons stumble in season-opening loss to Pacers

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers finished the 2023-24 season on opposite sides of the spectrum. The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals following a 47-35 regular season record, while the Pistons produced their worst year in franchise history with a league-low 14 wins.

But when Pacers coach Rick Carlisle began preparing for the 2024-25 season against the Pistons, he noticed that Detroit looked vastly different. The changes on both sides of the ball under coach J.B. Bickerstaff gave Carlisle the sense that the Pistons would be a "tougher team to beat."

Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons fulfilled Carlisle's prediction despite a 115-109 season-opening loss to the Pacers. Myles Turner led the Pacers in the win with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Pascal Siakam added 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

The Pacers outscored the Pistons 33-19 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback victory. They entered the final period down by eight following a third-quarter scoring explosion by Cade Cunningham, who scored a game-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.

Cunningham had one of the best quarters of his young career, scoring 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He drilled a 3-point field goal to cap his third-quarter scoring eruption, which led to the Pistons holding a 90-82 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Cunningham's scoring performance during the third quarter was 180 degrees from his facilitating role during the first half, where he recorded six of his eight assists. Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley shared the scoring load during the first half with 13 points and 10 points, respectively. Harris finished with 13, while Beasley scored 14. Their play led to Detroit holding a 58-49 lead at the half.

Jalen Duren recorded 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win. His 3-point field goal with 21 seconds in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for the Pacers.

Observations vs. Pacers

— Ron Holland's impressive NBA debut

Ron Holland made his official NBA debut against the Pacers and maintained the mentality that made him a fan favorite during the preseason. He subbed in with 3:35 left in the first quarter for Harris. At the time, the Pistons trailed the Pacers 21-18.

As a high-energy guy, Holland gave the Pistons a significant boost with his all-around play, recording six points, three rebounds and two steals. Holland's production helped the Pistons regain their momentum once their play began to stagnate following their hot start, which featured Detroit holding a 12-4 lead early in the first quarter. He finished with

— Beasley takes honor as the Pistons' top sixth man

Beasley could have easily had a role in Detroit's starting lineup but made his debut off the bench. If the Pistons continue to show signs of improvement throughout the regular season, Beasley could be in consideration for Sixth Man of the Year honors. He came off the bench and elevated the Pistons' play on both ends, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and three rebounds in the loss.

— A so-so season opener for Ivey

Jaden Ivey's promising preseason led many to believe he was on the verge of a breakout year. Unfortunately, he did not have the kind of performance that made him the team's best player during their 3-2 preseason. Before scoring on a timely and-1 basket late in the third quarter, Ivey began the night shooting 2 of 7 from the field. His subpar 3-point shooting was most disappointing, as he finished the night shooting 0 of 2 from behind the arc.

During the preseason, Ivey averaged 15.0 points and shot 52.9% from behind the arc. Against the Pacers, he finished the game with 17 points while shooting 5 of 13 from the field.

— Up Next

The Pistons will play their first road game of the season Friday night against their Central Division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season, the Pistons dropped their four-game regular-season series in a 4-0 sweep to the Cavaliers. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.