Detroit Pistons Coach Sounds Off on Big Issue vs Hornets

Detroit Pistons' JB Bickerstaff put together a rant after the win over the Hornets.

Dec 26, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff questions a “kicked ball” call during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Heading into halftime of the Friday night matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, the Detroit Pistons trailed 65-52. Considering they were facing a team without its top two starters in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the game was shaping up to be one of the more disappointing outings this year for the Pistons.

Coming out of halftime, the Pistons found a way to bounce back with a 32-17 run. Cutting into Charlotte’s 13-point lead, the Pistons managed to get into the fourth quarter out in front.

At that point, Detroit didn’t look back.

While it was a low-scoring quarter with just 26 points between the Hornets and the Pistons, Charlotte couldn’t protect the lead. The Pistons managed to take down the Hornets with a 98-94 victory.

While the Pistons ultimately landed the results they wanted, the head coach, JB Bickerstaff, couldn’t help but feel frustrated over a big issue that occurred throughout the night; the Pistons were whistled for 27 fouls, with the Hornets getting called for just ten.

JB Bickerstaff didn’t hold back and stood up for his team when addressing the officiating after the game #Pistons

Question by @Johnny__Kane pic.twitter.com/3zWMDmJDjZ

— Eric Vincent (@IAmEricVincent) January 4, 2025

“What [the team] went through tonight, to be honest with you, was disrespectful,” Bickerstaff told reporters. “You had three people impacting the game out there in a personal way. There’s no way we shoot 13 free throws, they shoot 30. We have 27 personal fouls, they have 10 for the entire game. That’s a problem. It’s disrespectful to our guys who compete as hard as they do for people to take out their personal problems with our guys, right?”

Bickerstaff didn’t place total blame for the Pistons’ slow start on the lopsided calls. The head coach admitted the team didn’t start off playing the game the Pistons “would’ve liked,” but he appreciated the team’s ability to adjust and respond in the final two quarters.

That’s a Detroit Dub#DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/MRuQ1xyhP9

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 4, 2025

Still, the head coach felt a sense of disrespect, and it nearly cost them a game.

“If you have a problem with me, if you have a problem with the guys, you call the game the same way every time,” Bickerstaff added. “You can go back and watch it play after play. The game was not whistled the same way. 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. Our guys didn’t get it tonight.”

At the end of the day, the Pistons managed to move on to 16-18 on the season. With five wins over their last six games, Detroit moves into the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. They are trailing the Indiana Pacers by half a game and are only two games out of the seventh seed, which is currently in possession of the Atlanta Hawks.