Milwaukee — Nine months ago, J.B. Bickerstaff held his introductory press conference as the coach of the Detroit Pistons. At that time, he did not want to make any promises about the number of wins the Pistons would achieve in his first year at the helm.
In fact, he didn’t even want to make promises about whether the Pistons would be a relevant team after years of suffering through a terrible rebuild.
However, Bickerstaff’s primary goal was to represent the Pistons’ culture as a physical, defensive, and gritty team, spanning from the Bad Boys to the Goin’ to Work eras.
Although the Pistons suffered a 140-133 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday afternoon at Fiserv Forum, the game was a testament to what led Detroit to end the regular season after completing arguably the best one-year turnaround in league history.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 140, Pistons 133 (OT)
The Pistons concluded the regular season at 44-38, matching their best performance since the 2015-16 campaign. This success led to Detroit breaking its postseason drought, securing a place in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
“Those who come before you are extremely important, and paying respect to those who came before are extremely important and that’s what we have done,” Bickerstaff said. “Emulating what has been successful for this organization in the past.”
Due to the plan implemented by Detroit’s medical staff, the Pistons took the floor extremely shorthanded in their regular-season finale. Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson were sidelined, while most of Detroit’s core players logged 13 minutes or less.
Malik Beasley totaled 19 minutes while scoring a team-high 23 points with seven made 3-point field goals. Beasley scored nine points in the third quarter, helping the Pistons overcome a 16-point deficit. By the 3:22 mark of the period, Detroit trailed 87-82.
By appearing in the game, Beasley was the only player on the Pistons’ roster to play 82 games. He played a crucial role in Detroit’s turnaround this season, setting a franchise record for the most 3-point field goals made in a single season. Beasley nailed 319 triples on 41.3% shooting.
As the season began, Bickerstaff was aware that Beasley had a reputation as one of the league’s top shooters. However, his performance was unexpected.
“He is elite at it,” Bickerstaff said. “After spending this time with Malik and watching his work ethic, it’s every single day. He is relentless in his approach…With those great shooters and playmakers, he doesn’t have to have his feet set or his body set; he just knows how to get open and create his shot.”
Beasley scored nine points in the third quarter, helping the Pistons overcome a 16-point deficit. By the 3:22 mark of the period, Detroit trailed 87-82.
The Bucks also were shorthanded, missing several of their core players, including two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Pat Connaughton notched a career-best 43 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. However, Milwaukee managed to find an early rhythm thanks to Kyle Kuzma’s impressive start. The Flint native scored all 22 of his points in the first quarter while shooting 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
The Pistons’ comeback pulled them within 101-100 with seven minutes remaining. At the 6:34 mark of the period, Marcus Sasser scored a 3-point field goal to give the Pistons a two-point lead (103-101). He later connected on an And-1 basket that tied the game at 112 by the 3:30 mark. Sasser finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists.
However, Connaughton scored six points over Milwaukee’s next four possessions. Bobi Klintman (15 points and six assists) scored a clutch 3-point field goal that brought Detroit within two points (122-120) with 8.9 seconds left. After Jamaree Bouyea split his free-throw attempts, Lindy Waters III (18 points) scored a 3-point basket to tie the game at 123.
Although Detroit entered overtime with all the momentum, Connaughton scored 10 points during the period to put the game out of reach.
“When you put on a Pistons jersey, no matter where you are or who you are, we only play one way,” Bickerstaff said. “Our core values bleed throughout the entire organization. We established our identity. We established who we are. The guys represent us well every single night.
“I thought it was great that the young guys got the opportunity to play. We had a couple of guys who got their first NBA points today. And then, we competed and sent the game into overtime, giving the people something to watch.”
Observations and notes vs. Bucks
▶ Season-high for Pistons: The Pistons set a season-high of 22 triples made against the Bucks.
▶ A G League showcase: Each of the Pistons’ two-way players — Ron Harper Jr., Klintman, Daniss Jenkins and Tolu Smith — made an appearance against the Bucks. Smith was impressive with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Harper Jr. and Jenkins scored two.
▶ Limited minutes for the core guys: Aside from Beasley and Ron Holland II, each of the Pistons’ key players had limited playing time against the Bucks. Jalen Duren played eight minutes, Tobias Harris played 10 minutes, and Tim Hardaway Jr. played 12, all during the first quarter.
Up next
The Pistons will begin the first round of the 2025 Eastern Conference playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. This will be the Pistons’ first playoff game since 2019. Dates and tip-off time are TBD.
@cotydavis_24
