J.B. Bickerstaff isn’t concerned about one bad outing. The Detroit Pistons coach saw his team get blown out by Cleveland on Monday.
The Pistons will host the struggling Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
The Cavaliers, who had the Eastern Conference’s best record last season, rolled to a 116-95 victory over host Detroit.
“They’re a good defensive team. We just had a rough night (Monday),” Bickerstaff said. “We turned the ball over 26 times. It’s hard moving your offense when you’re turning the basketball over. But it’s one night — we’ll be better.”
The Pistons’ star player, Cade Cunningham, was limited to 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting and also committed five turnovers. Cunningham, who was listed as probable with a left hip contusion, averages 23 points and nine assists after Detroit’s first four games.
“(The Cavaliers) got a ton of size, and they do a great job of shrinking the floor and make you play in crowded spaces,” Bickerstaff said. “I’ve got to do a better job of helping (Cunningham) in those situations, create more space for him in those situations. But again, we’re early in the season. We’ll continue to build from it.”
The game got away from Detroit early. The Cavs scored the last 11 points of the first quarter and led by 22 at halftime. The Pistons, who defeated the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics prior to Monday’s contest, never threatened in the second half.
“Some of the shots don’t go in, a part of it is just trying to stay process-driven in those stretches and make sure you’re trying to generate the right looks, playing the right way,” Pistons wing Duncan Robinson said. “Sometimes there’s going to be stretches where it doesn’t go in, but that’s where you’ve got to buckle down defensively and get stops.”
The Magic have won eight of their last nine meetings with the Pistons. They’ll look to keep that trend going in order to end a three-game slide.
Following a season-opening win over the Miami Heat, Orlando has lost to the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers. The host Sixers shot 49.5% from the field and committed just seven turnovers while defeating the Magic 136-124 on Monday.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero’s 32-point outing was wasted in the process. Orlando shot 54.9% from the field, but defense lapses led to its demise. The Magic gave up 130 or more points for the first time since Jan. 29, 2024, in a 131-129 loss at Dallas.
“Definitely not what we’re used to. Hasn’t been very good, giving up a lot of points,” Banchero said of the defense. “But that’s kind of what you give up when you speed the pace up. Teams are able to get out and run, and (it) causes crossmatches and miscommunications and stuff like that. So, we’ve just got to figure it out.”
The Magic, which opened a five-game road trip on Monday, especially need to do a better job regarding their backcourt defense. Sixers starting guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 69 points and 15 assists.
“Give them credit, they’ve got some guards that can go out and attack and get downhill and space the floor,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But we have to do better, mixing in how physical we are with defending without fouling.”
