Jalen Duren's shocking J.B. Bickerstaff endorsement after 4th straight victory
01/07/2025 01:30 AM
The Detroit Pistons’ hot streak has reached four straight victories after a 118-115 comeback win over the Portland Trailblazers.
One of the Pistons’ biggest growing pains has been their inability to close games down the stretch. Over the past month, this rebuilding franchise has found a groove in solving that issue. Their standings reflect it as they find themselves at .500 with an 18-18 record. Center Jalen Duren offered high-level credit to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for the franchise turnaround this season.
“He’s a great coach. In terms of not just the X’s and O’s, but getting the message across and relating to players. I feel like he’s a guy who you can talk to, he’s a guy who understands, who wants to hear both sides, and he’s a motivator,” Duren explained in the postgame media session. “I love playing under him. He makes the right calls, the right plays, and you see our record reflects it. He’s a coach of the year candidate for sure in my eyes, I’m excited.”
The culture of Detroit basketball is being reshaped under the leadership of their new coach in just his first season in charge. Bickerstaff has installed a new level of competitiveness that has not been on display in years. The new level of competitive discipline has the Pistons currently in the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
After being dismissed by the Cleveland Cavaliers this past offseason, Bickerstaff has been impressive early in command with Detroit. Bickerstaff acknowledged the progression and what it means to see from this franchise.
"I appreciate the work the guys have put in. I appreciate the improvement, I appreciate each and every one of them individually. I’m proud of what they are becoming but we have more work to do,” Bickerstaff stated. “The NBA seasons are long, so every day has to be a consistent day for us, and we'll take the same approach. We’ll watch the film break it down and learn from our mistakes and get better."
Pistons complete comeback effort
Detroit started off flat against Portland which put them in a trailing deficit as big as 22 points. Hot shooting from Portland guards Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe kept the Pistons on their heels. The Trailblazers answered just about every rally attempt by the Pistons until the closing moments of the fourth quarter.
Much needed clutch shots were knocked down late by the veteran wings Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, and Malik Beasley to close the night. Hardaway Jr. made three jumpers to help take the lead back for Detroit. Harris hit a corner three and a dunk to assist the rally. After going scoreless for three quarters, Beasley swished his first triple of the night with under a minute left and swiped a steal from Simons in the final possession for the victory.
Point guard Cade Cunningham continued his All-Star level production to lead the Pistons to their fourth consecutive win. Cunningham scored 32 points, dished nine assists, and pulled down six rebounds.
Hardaway concluded his big shooting night with 26 points on 10-15 shooting from the field and 6-9 from three. Harris was highly effective as well with 17 points of his own. Duren added 14 points, 12 rebounds, and his continuously improving defense for Detroit.
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