J.B. Bickerstaff explains Detroit Pistons starting lineup preference
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff on the projected starting lineup without Jaden Ivey entering the regular season opener, recorded Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
CHICAGO — As Cade Cunningham goes, so do the Detroit Pistons.
The superstar guard got off to a poor start in the Pistons’ season opener against the Chicago Bulls, but scored 13 of his 23 points in the final period as they eliminated a 15-point deficit to tie the game at 105-105 late. However, the comeback bid fell short.
The Pistons fell to the Bulls at United Center on Wednesday, Oct 22, 115-111. Cunningham led the Pistons with 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Isaiah Stewart finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, and Ron Holland added 19 points.
They shot just 7-for-24 from 3 and trailed by 23 points in the second quarter, but rallied in the fourth quarter, which they won by a 32-21 margin. Cunningham shot 5-for-12 in the final period after missing all four of his shots in the third, and tied the game, 109-109, with a layup. He brought the Pistons within one, 112-111, with another layup and appeared to force a turnover on Josh Giddey for a chance to win the game.
But the Bulls challenged the call, and it was overturned to a foul on Cunningham. Giddy made both free throws, and both Pistons 3-point attempts on the other end — the first by Cunningham, the second by Tobias Harris after an offensive rebound — missed.
Holland, Stewart bring energy in second halfÂ
As a rookie, Holland impacted winning by making his presence felt off the bench. He found a variety of ways to provide a spark for the Pistons, whether it was forcing turnovers with his pesky defense, getting to the line or making plays in transition.Â
Holland followed a similar script against the Bulls, tallying eight points and a pair of steals in the third quarter. In the fourth, he hit two of the most consequential shots of the night — a coast-to-coast layup past Vucevic and a corner 3-pointer, with a block by Stewart sandwiched in-between — to tie the game at 105 with roughly three minutes remaining.Â
Stewart also was dominant on both ends in the second half. He blocked two shots in the final minute of the third quarter, leading to a fastbreak dunk for himself and a pair of free throws for Holland, to whittle the lead down to 15 heading into the fourth. He also hit two 3-pointers in the second half, with the second helping to spark the Pistons’ game-tying 26-11 run toward the end of the game.
Pistons outhustled, outmuscled in first half
It wasn’t an ideal start to the season. The Bulls controlled the game early and the first-half stats told the story — they had an 8-2 edge over the Pistons in offensive rebounds and 30-15 overall advantage on the boards, shot 7-for-15 from 3 (46.7%) to the Pistons’ 3-for-11 (27.3%) and had an 11-0 lead in second-chance points.Â
The Pistons trailed by 17 in the opening quarter following a 23-4 Bulls run, and by as many as 23 in the second. They didn’t have an answer for Vucevic, who opened the game 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and had 15 points by halftime, and were disorganized defensively, repeatedly leaving shooters open. They also battled foul trouble, with Duren picking up two in the first two minutes of the game and Cunningham picking up three early.Â
In addition to the foul trouble, Cunningham had a tough time generating good shot attempts before his late surge. He shot 3-for-8 in the first half and didn’t make another bucket until midway through the final period.Â
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