Ron Holland II career game lifts Pistons to historic win over Pelicans
03/23/2025 08:01 PM
The Detroit Pistons continue to chip away at historic achievements through the 2024-25 regular season. Sunday afternoon’s 136-130 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans officially stamped the Pistons’ 40th win of the regular season. This accomplishment marks Detroit’s first 40-win season since 2018-19.
The Pistons came into the game shorthanded from injuries to point guard Cade Cunningham (left calf) and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle). The injuries created opportunities for others to take advantage, and rookie Ron Holland answered the call, tying his career-high in points with 26. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff showered his rookie forward with major praise for his performance in the postgame media session.
“Most guys at 19 years old who have been the guy all their lives and the focus is about them don’t understand how to play with others. Ron just has an understanding of how to impact winning,” Bickerstaff stated. “He’s a fierce competitor, and he doesn’t care what the play is. He just impacts winning in a way because it matters to him. At his age, most guys are trying to figure out if it’s not about me, then what are we doing? He’s done a tremendous job of only giving a s*** about the team and his teammates.”
Holland became the first teenager in league history to record at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers in an NBA game. He led the charge for the Pistons’ reserves when the team needed a spark or lost momentum against the Pelicans. The Pistons lost a double-digit lead in the third quarter, and Holland changed the tide by creating turnovers and adding much-needed offense to follow. Holland spoke on his ability to lead the way to a victory for Detroit with the media after the game.
“Coming into the season as a rookie, my main focus was to let them know I’m here to play hard every single night. I just want them to know that I got their back as much as they got mine,” Holland said. “That can be tough sometimes, but I know it’s trust from Trajan (Langdon) down to the players and it’s amazing. The culture around here is amazing.”
Breakout performance by Marcus Sasser sparks Pistons
Another key reserve that made a major impact for the Pistons was backup point guard Marcus Sasser. Detroit elected to start Dennis Schroder in place of the injured Cunningham. Sasser stepped in for 20 minutes and played a huge part in the Pistons’ close victory. Sasser finished the game with 20 points shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep. Bickerstaff expressed his gratitude to Sasser after the game as well when addressing the media.
“I was most appreciative of the guys who came off the bench and gave us a boost. Marcus Sasser has been through a lot with us. He’s had opportunities, he’s had moments where he hasn’t played, but every time he plays he puts himself in positions to help this team win basketball games,” Bickerstaff said. “I can’t say how difficult that is, but all I can tell you how important that is to us. A lot of respect and appreciation for him.”
Detroit relied on balanced team production playing without their All-Star guard against the Pelicans. Center Jalen Duren recorded his 35th double-double this season scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Six of those rebounds came on the offensive end creating extra-chance opportunities for the Pistons.
Forward Tobias Harris helped lift the frontcourt scoring with 14 points of his own. Schroder scored 16 points and dished five assists in his starting role at point guard. Shooting guard Malik Beasley started in place of the injured Hardaway and pitched in 13 points for Detroit.
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