Pistons fall to 0-2 in coach J.B. Bickerstaff's return to Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has nothing but respect for Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. As the assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, Atkinson watched as Bickerstaff took the dreadful Cavaliers and returned them to one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, which featured back-to-back postseason appearances in 2023 and 2024.

Atkinson credited Bickerstaff with laying a successful foundation, which has him on the verge of extending the Cavaliers' playoff streak come April 2025 as Bickerstaff’s replacement. Friday night, Atkinson used Bickerstaff’s teachings against him amid the Pistons' 113-101 loss to the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

With the loss, the Pistons fell to 0-2 to begin the 2024-25 season. It was a feat that appeared avoidable, given Detroit’s hot start behind the first-quarter play of Cade Cunningham. He came out the gates on fire, shooting 4 of 6 from the field for nine first-quarter points.

He wasn’t alone in his early play, as Jaden Ivey and Malik Beasley scored eight and nine points, respectively. The Pistons shot 57.1% from the field and 55.6% on 3-point shooting during the period and took a 29-28 lead into the second quarter. Unfortunately, Detroit could not overcome the turnover woes that plagued its performance.

They committed eight turnovers during the first quarter, and by the end of the half, the Pistons had up to a dozen. Their glimmer of hope in Cleveland diminished significantly. The Cavaliers took advantage of the Pistons’ struggles to take care of the ball by converting 20 first-half points as a result of Detroit’s 12 turnovers.

Cunningham followed up his hot start to the game by scoring a team-high 33 points on 14-of-24 shooting to go along with six assists and four rebounds. However, Cunningham committed nine of the Pistons’ 22 turnovers. Ivey finished with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Beasley added 13 points off the bench.

The Cavaliers held a 91-79 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Pistons hung tight with the Cavaliers (2-0) and cut their double-digit deficit to eight with 7:03 in the fourth period. Cleveland put the game away amid a late 10-0 run. Six players scored in double figures for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell and Dean Wade each poured in 19 points. Jarrett Allen added a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.