Pistons' JB Bickerstaff calls out refs after victory over Hornets

01/03/2025 11:21 PM

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff passionately addressed the officials after his team defeated the Charlotte Hornets 98-94.

The victory was almost overshadowed by a tough night of calls that did not go the Piston’s way. Plenty of calls throughout the entire game almost turned the momentum on numerous occasions for Detroit. Bickerstaff discussed the controversy with plenty of emotion during his postgame presser.

“What they (Pistons) went through tonight, to be honest with you, was disrespectful. You had three people out there impacting the game in a personal way,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s no way we shoot 13 free throws; they shoot 30. We have 27 personal fouls; they have ten for the entire game.”

Bickerstaff battled with the officials on a plethora of questionable calls all game. The Pistons received three technical fouls due to arguing with the referees, including one that was assessed to Detroit’s head coach in the second half.

Four different Pistons dealt with foul trouble by picking up at least four personal fouls. Even with the success of Detroit’s 16th regular season victory, Bickerstaff was visibly upset when reflecting on the outcome with the officials.

“It’s disrespectful to our guys who compete as hard as they do for people to take out personal problems with our guys. If you have a problem with me, if you have a problem with our guys, you call the game the same way all the time. You can go back and watch it play after play; the game was not whistled the same way,” Bickerstaff exclaimed.

“Our guys deserve better than that. They’ve been competing, they’ve been learning, they’ve been growing. We’ve been trying to build this right. Everybody who steps on that floor deserves the same amount of respect, and our guys didn’t get it tonight.”

Second-half comeback sparks victory

First half struggles placed the Pistons in a hole as big as 13 points by halftime. Detroit had problems limiting Charlotte on the defensive end, which carried over offensively. By the end of the first two periods, the Hornets shot 14-20 from the free throw line, and the Pistons were only 5-6 from the stripe.

Detroit found their groove by outscoring their opponent 32-17 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter became a battle of finding baskets as the Pistons only scored 14 points compared to 12 by the Hornets. Bickerstaff addressed the lethargic start and what keyed the turnaround for his team in the second half.

“Our guys decided to guard; we know what we are capable of. In the first half we were just too loose with the ball and allowed them to get whatever they wanted. They were getting in the paint and putting our bigs in two-on-one situations,” Bickerstaff stated. “In the second half, we were much more aggressive defensively and were able to come up with some big stops down the stretch. Give our guys credit for  turning the page despite some of the other challenges we faced tonight.”

Despite the winning conclusion for the Pistons, they struggled to seal the deal late in the fourth quarter. Their offensive rhythm took a dip in the final possessions of the game. Detroit missed four key free throws that could have put the game out of reach for Charlotte.

Forward Tobias Harris led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed ten rebounds to aid the Pistons. Point guard Cade Cunningham pitched in 18 points with five rebounds and five assists. Center Jalen Duren had another impactful performance, scoring 10 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking three shots.

Starting lineup change

Friday night’s victory was the first game for the Pistons since the brutal leg injury of shooting guard Ivey. Bickerstaff decided to start Wendell Moore Jr. in Ivey’s place to fill that void. Bickerstaff spoke on his decision to use Moore in the first lineup for the Pistons.

“I think he’s earned it. Every time we put Wendell in the game he goes out and competes. Even when he’s not being seen, he works his tail off to be ready to go,” Bickerstaff explained. “We are just trying to find a rhythm and different matchups when he’s in the game, but overall, I think he did a good job for us in his  first start.”

Bickerstaff stated the lineup will be “fluid” until they find a rhythm that works in their starting five without Ivey. There is currently no timetable for Ivey’s return but the team is keeping hope that he can return before the end of the season for Detroit.

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