The Detroit Pistons learn their defensive lessons in their narrow opening defeat

For most of Wednesday's opening night, the Detroit Pistons traded blows with an Eastern Conference contender.

The Pistons set the tone defensively in the first half and built a double-digit lead. They got a good performance from Cade Cunningham, who led all scorers with 28 points and provided eight assists. Shots were fired in time. Players were connected.

Ultimately, however, it was the Indiana Pacers who prevailed, suffering a 115-109 loss in the 2024-25 regular season opener at Little Caesars Arena. It was a game with a familiar outcome, and yet the Pistons were encouraged by their overall performance.

The Pacers are coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and return with much of the same roster that fielded the league's second-best offense last season. The Pistons posted a 14-68 record, the worst in the league (and in franchise history). However, the difference between the two franchises only became clear in the final period when the Pacers won 33-19.

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The Pistons' mood after the game suggested that the team is confident of not repeating last season's mistakes.

“There were a lot of positives,” head coach JB Bickerstaff said after his first regular-season game with the franchise. “We did a lot of good things, from sharing the ball to defending the way we did. They're a unique team because they have enough space on the field with five players, and I think our guys executed the game plan pretty well for the most part.

“We did a great job trying to share the ball. We touched the paint, the things we preach, we kicked the ball out to open shooters. These things will happen and they will harm us. We just have to be consistent with it and live it, whether it succeeds or not. We have to live it.”

The Pistons showed strong defensive energy in the preseason, and that continued Wednesday – at least in the first half. Third-year star Jalen Duren (13 points, 13 rebounds, four assists) led the way, physically dominating the glass while blocking shots at the rim. The Pistons pressured the Pacers into 11 turnovers in the first half and held them to 42.9% shooting.

“The energy was great,” Bickerstaff said. “The physicality was great. The communication and implementation were at a really very high level. This is one of those things where we're getting better and better at understanding how to put a half, three quarters, four quarters together. But the will is there. I’m happy with what we did tonight and with where we were.”

Indiana's offense clicked in the third quarter. An 11-1 run gave the Pacers a 76-75 lead with under four minutes left. The teams remained mostly even until a three-pointer from Tyrese Haliburton increased Indiana's three-point lead to six with 20 seconds left.

Providing easy chances to a good offense in transition proved difficult, and Cunningham blamed turnovers for the second-half flop.

“It just means we don’t value the ball when we had a 10-point lead,” he said. “That’s the name of the game in this league. They are a good team and have a great offense. Giving them opportunities like that – turning the ball over, not shooting on every possession – that hurts us.

“It’s hard to constantly play transition defense, turning the ball over and not getting good shots. They go on the run. It's hard to get stops when the defense isn't equipped. Our defense was fine.”

The Pistons have had some poor second halves during their recent rebuild, and Wednesday's poor finish was a reminder of the team they are desperately trying not to be. Last season also began with a strong night from Cunningham – 30 points on the road in a narrow loss to the Miami Heat – and the feeling that correcting mistakes was all that was needed to take the next step.

Of course that didn't happen.

Cunningham said Wednesday that the team remembers last season all too well, which is a motivator as the Pistons begin a new season under new leadership.

“It's there. I won’t forget it,” Cunningham said. “I’m not trying to bury it. It's a part of me. It's more about a short learning curve. It's a whole new season, it's a whole new year. We have new people, new energy, we are all a year better. I'm just going into the next game feeling good, confident and keeping the same swag that we had in that game.

“We will win games, I’m not worried about that. It’s just about learning from our mistakes and getting better.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him @omarisankofa.

The Detroit Pistons learn their defensive lessons in their narrow opening defeat

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