Daniss Jenkins’ big game gets ‘amazing’ praise from JB Bickerstaff

Smaller victories were an impressive foundation Detroit Pistons2025-26 regular season.

Three key contributors are missingThe Pistons managed to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-110 in a difficult away game. Detroit has enforced a “next man up” mentality all season and has gotten a significant boost from backup point guard Danis Jenkins. The two-way guard gave the Pistons a big boost, scoring 25 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff was impressed and grateful for the effort Jenkins on his way to victory.

“He was unbelievable. He went 6-for-6 with three in that second quarter. It’s a confidence factor; we talk about it all the time. We have 18 guys on our roster that we believe in. We have 18 guys that we know we can put in the game to help us win,” Bickerstaff said during the postgame presser. “They know how to play Pistons basketball. They play unselfish, they play with a high spirit and confidence to get the job done.”

The Pistons opened a rough first quarter, scoring just 19 points and averaging a poor 27% shooting from the field and $20 from 3-point range.

The difference was at an acceptable level, but the Cavaliers played with a lot of momentum. Jenkins checked in at the top of the second quarter and made an immediate impact. He talked about what he saw from the Cavaliers defense that helped him find his offensive groove in Cleveland.

“Coming into the game, we knew he was going to give us the power behind the shots. Cade (Cunningham) was just finding my teammates finding me. My teammates were finding me,” Jenkins explained, via Coty Davis of the Detroit News . “I was getting open and finding space. The key to the game was if you have an open shot, you have to shoot it. They were filling the paint a lot, so I was just confident going into it.”

Detroit scored 47 points in the second quarter, with Jenkins accounting for 21. He made six 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater to close the period and extend the Pistons’ lead to 66-56 at halftime.

Injuries were a key concern because The Pistons entered the game without center Jalen Duren (ankle), forward Tobias Harris (hip) and guard Caris LeVert (knee). They adjusted for the missing pieces and benefited from Jenkins’ penetration.

The Pistons close out the week with a win against the Cavaliers

Point guard Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He managed to knock down each of his 11 attempts from the free throw line. That somewhat offset his efficiency from the field when he went 7-for-22 against the Cavaliers.

Forward Duncan Robinson scored 12 points in 30 minutes as a starter. Guard JaVonte Green scored 11 points and made several key defensive stops against Cleveland in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons return home for a back-to-back contest on Monday against the New York Knicks. The Knicks trail the Pistons by three games as the second-place team in the Eastern Conference.