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Detroit Pistons Coach Shares Honest Thoughts on Blowout Loss vs 76ers

JB Bickerstaff defends Pistons' loss against the 76ers.
Justin Grasso|
Nov 27, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff watches during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Nov 27, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff watches during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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The Detroit Pistons were riding high after their NBA Cup victory against the Indiana Pacers on the road on Friday night. By the time they reached their Saturday night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Pistons were gassed, and it showed.

Of course, other factors played into the dud of a performance. According to Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff, issues with the flight home caused the team to get back to Detroit much later than anticipated.

While it was a disappointing showing for the Pistons, they aren’t hanging their heads after collecting loss No. 13 on the year. They are simply chalking it up as a rough outing and moving forward, looking ahead to their final NBA Cup group game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Our guys were exhausted. We sat on the runway last night until 2:30, 3 am, got home around 4:30 in a snowstorm. … We just didn’t have it tonight, and that’s fair. Today was just a rough day for them,” Bickerstaff told reporters on Saturday night.

It also didn’t help the Pistons were unexpectedly shorthanded moments before the matchup. Heading into the game, Detroit left the starting guard, Cade Cunningham, off the injury report. Lately, Cunningham’s been dealing with a pelvis injury and missed a few games as a result.

He returned to action on Friday night in Indiana and was a key contributor to the Pistons’ victory over the Pacers. It seemed he was fine to play against the Sixers on Saturday, but the Pistons scratched him out of the lineup not long before tip-off.

The Jaden Ivey-Malik Beasley backcourt took care of the ball and shot well, but they didn’t get much help from anywhere else. Tim Hardaway Jr and Tobias Harris shot a combined 1-14 from the field. Jalen Duren took just two shots. Overall, the Pistons made 39 percent of their shots on Saturday, failing to hit on 30 percent of their threes.

The Sixers dominated from the start and never looked back. The Pistons dropped to 9-13 with a 111-96 loss.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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