JB Bickerstaff finds silverware in loss to Clippers

The Detroit Pistons’ three-game winning streak came to an end thanks to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The final score on Saturday night ended at 98-92, and the Pistons were down. Detroit led by as many as 19 points at home against the Clippers. However, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff did not sound the alarm of concern when he reflects on his team’s efforts after the game.

“I’m not going to find anything negative about what these guys did tonight. To come out and compete the way they competed as humble as they were. To put themselves in a position to even have a chance to go down the stretch, I give them a lot of credit,” Bickerstaff explained. “We’ve got guys out of position and playing different spots; things happen. The way they competed, the way they stuck together, they gave themselves a chance. There’s nothing negative about what happened to these guys tonight.”

Injuries continue to affect the Pistons with their production and their availability. They entered the game without four key contributors, incl Cade Cunningham (right wrist contusion), Jalen Duren (ankle), Tobias Harris (hip) and Isaiah Stewart (illness).

Detroit fought hard to open the first half with the players it had at its disposal. Their defense was strong as they held the Clippers to 41 points on 37.8% shooting from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range. The Pistons had a 55-41 advantage after the first two periods.

The second half was a different story as Los Angeles outscored Detroit 57-37. The fourth quarter showed the biggest deficit as the Pistons were outscored 30-16.

Detroit’s defense remains their most important calling card. They forced 21 turnovers by the Clippers to keep their lead in a promising position. This helped the Pistons charge 21 fast break points and 46 points in the paint.

There was also a much-improved defensive effort against the Clippers’ stars. Forward Kawhi Leonard had a monstrous performance in his last game with 55 points. He had a quiet first half with 12 points and finished the night with 26. James Harden scored 19 points but was limited to 4-of-20 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Bickerstaff was proud when he elaborated on the team’s effort against two defensive stars.

“I think there were a bunch of guys shooting at him. So credit to his growth on the defensive end of the floor is being able to guard him, make him tough,” Bickerstaff said. “Look at him, how he gets to the free throw line. I thought we did a pretty good job. There were a few disciplined ones that we gave up, but some of them are yet to happen. But I thought all of our guys did a great job defending it tonight.”

Detroit didn’t have the strongest offensive game against the Clippers. They finished the night shooting 39.8% from the field and 22.9% from 3. The Pistons made just eight 3-point attempts, five of which were from behind. Duncan Robinson alone.

Robinson finished the night with 20 points, all of which came in the first half. Forward Ron Holland scored 16 points in 25 minutes off the bench for the Pistons. Backup point guard Daniss Jenkins scored 10 points of his own. Center Tolu Smith filled out the Pistons frontcourt nicely, adding nine points and 14 rebounds. Six of those rebounds came on the offensive end from calls on Motor City Cruise.