J.B. Bickerstaff: Going to be difficult to cut someone out of rotation
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff speaks about the team’s three days with no games after practice Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 in Detroit.
MILWAUKEE — Jaden Ivey made his long-awaited season debut, and the Detroit Pistons took care of business to extend their longest winning streak in two decades.
Ivey scored 10 points and added an assist in his first regular-season game since suffering a broken left leg on Jan. 1, and the Pistons (14-2) had a hot offensive night en route to a 129-116 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It was their 12th consecutive win, one shy of tying the franchise record set during the 1989-90 and 2003-04 seasons. It also snapped a 13-game losing streak against Milwaukee.
Tobias Harris also returned after missing nine straight games with a right ankle sprain. The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left adductor strain). Cade Cunningham led the way with 29 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Jalen Duren had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Harris added 18 points.
The Pistons took control of the game in the second quarter, which they closed with a 19-8 run to carry a 69-52 lead into halftime. Everything clicked on offense, as they shot 65.9% (29-for-44) with 19 assists and six turnovers in the first half, and finished the night 16-for-30 (53.3%) from 3.
That momentum carried into the third quarter, which they opened with an 18-6 run to extend their lead to 29. The Bucks got hot from the arc in the second half, and a 3-pointer from Detroit native Ryan Rollins cut their lead to 14, 118-104, with 4:10 to play before Duncan Robinson responded with a 3 on the other end to help ice the win.
Jaden Ivey looks sharp in debut
It was a long road back for Ivey, whose return was delayed by arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Oct. 16. His ramp-up began last Friday when he was spotted getting shots up after the team’s shootaround at their practice facility in Midtown, and then went through pregame warmups that night against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ivey and Tobias Harris were assigned to the G League earlier this week to participate in five-on-five scrimmage action before rejoining the Pistons. Leading into Saturday’s win, Ivey’s injury status was upgraded to “questionable” for the first time this season.
“He looks good,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Ivey before Saturday’s game. “You almost forget just how fast and explosive he is and then you see him out there against people who are generally fast, and then there’s levels to it. His ability to explode from a stop to a start and get to full speed on his first step is remarkable, how he can get to the paint with ease, the pressure he puts on you in transition. All of those things that he does. It’s been close to a year since we’ve had him on the floor with the guys. We’re looking forward to it and I know he is as well.”
He made his season debut midway through the second quarter and made an impact in limited minutes. His first bucket was a fastbreak layup at the end of the first quarter following a steal by Caris LeVert, and he knocked down a deep 3-pointer late in the second quarter during the Pistons’ 19-8 run.
In the third quarter, an errant Bucks pass was batted away by Ivey for a steal. On the other end, he drove and found LeVert open from 3 to push the Pistons lead back to 21, 96-75, after a 17-6 Bucks run cut it to 16.
J.B. Bickerstaff goes deep into rotation as team health improves
After their practice on Friday, Bickerstaff acknowledged it would be a challenge to find minutes for every deserving player on the roster with returns for Ivey and Harris looming. On Saturday, he adapted by going 12-deep into his rotation in the first half.
Every active player except Chaz Lanier entered the game through the first quarters, and Lanier checked in late in the fourth with the win in hand. Cunningham was the only player on the roster to play at least 30 minutes. Harris was limited to 23 minutes in his return, and Ivey played 15.
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