J.B. Bickerstaff's Blunt Statement Following Pistons-Celtics

Detroit Pistons drop both legs of their back-to-back.

Nov 17, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff gestures from the bench against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons traveled to Boston to face the Celtics in yet another back-to-back. Despite being without two of their starters, the defending champions were able to take care of business on their home floor. Led by Jaylen Brown, the Celtics walked out with a 130-120 win.

The Pistons got big outings from multiple key players, but it wasn't enough for them to get the job done against Boston. They were led by Cade Cunningham, who nearly recorded a triple-double (27 points, nine rebounds, 14 assists). Other notable performers included Tobias Harris (27 points) and Malik Beasley (23 points).

Following the loss, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared his thoughts on how things unfolded. Among his main talking points was the starting lineup, stating that they need to be ready to perform right out of the gates.

"Our responsibility from our starters is that we got to be better to start games," Bickerstaff said. "It's a privilege to start, and so when you are a starter it's your responsibility to help us get off to get starts and be ready to go when the whistle blows...The bench unit gave us a spark and everyone followed their lead."

J.B. Bickerstaff underscores the need for Detroit's starters to begin on time following a slow start against the Celtics in Boston. #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/cEG8u4CDUK
— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) December 5, 2024

The Pistons found themselves down 15 at the end of the opening quarter, largely due to cold start from the opening unit. Aside from Cunningham, no other starter recorded a made field goal. Detroit was able to stop the bleeding some thanks to Beasley and Marcus Sasser, but they still found themselves in a very deep hole early.

Coming off a strenuous back-to-back, the Pistons have a long break to regroup and gather themselves. The next time they'll be in action in Saturday night to take on Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.