Pistons Coach Praises Pair of Guards Following Win vs Toronto Raptors

J.B. Bickerstaff credits two Pistons guards for Friday's win.

Mar 13, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) dribbles in the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

On Friday night, the Detroit Pistons traveled up north for their second NBA Cup game of the season. Even though the Toronto Raptors were without a pair of their top players, they managed to keep things interesting all night.

After the Pistons led for most of the first of the first half, Toronto managed to flip the script coming out of halftime. Despite the late surge from the Raptors, Detroit was able to rally in the fourth quarter to secure a 99-95 win to remain undefeated in the Group Phase round.

Following another nail-biting matchup, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff was about the team reclaiming the momentum of the game in the fourth quarter. He credited a pair of guards for leading the charge on the energy shift.

"I want to give a tone of credit to Wendell [Moore] and Marcus [Sasser]," Bickerstaff said postgame. "I thought they came in the game and gave us huge energy in that second half. We don't win this game if they don't play the way that they did. So a ton of credit to them."

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Moore and Sasser have seen minutes as of late due to Pistons dealing some injuries. They've made the most of their opportunity, landing in their coach's good graces in the process.

Sasser, who logged 12 of his 17 minutes in the fourth quarter, finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Moore also did a little bit of everything on Friday, notching eight points, six rebounds, and two assists.

Aside from this duo, one of the biggest standouts for the Pistons in this win was Malik Beasley. The sharpshooting guard continued his recent hot streak, scoring a team-high 20 points.

After taking down the Raptors, the Pistons move to seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-8 record. They'll continue their road trip Sunday, heading to Washington to take on Kyle Kuzma and the Wizards. As for the NBA Cup, their next Group Phase is on November 29th against the Indiana Pacers.