Detroit Pistons still plagued by turnovers in 113-101 loss to Cleveland
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Detroit Pistons still plagued by turnovers in 113-101 loss to Cleveland

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CLEVELAND — It was a night somewhat reminiscent of last season. The Detroit Pistons piled up turnovers and lacked consistent effort defensively. In the end it cost them.

The Pistons fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-101, in their first road game of the 2024-25 season on Friday. Despite a strong night from Cade Cunningham (33 points, six assists), they couldn’t overcome having nearly as many turnovers (22) as assists (25). Cunningham was a big part of their ball control issues, tallying nine turnovers himself.

Cleveland iced the game with a 10-0 run midway through the fourth, extending an eight-point lead to 18 despite Cunningham checking in at the start of the run with 7:03 remaining. The turnovers hurt an otherwise solid offensive night for the team, as the Pistons knocked down 13 of 32 (40.6%) 3-pointers and shot 46.9% overall.

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Jaden Ivey (22 points), Malik Beasley (13) and Tobias Harris (10) also scored in double figures.

It was a return to Cleveland for head coach JB Bickerstaff, who coached the Cavaliers for five seasons before being fired in May. The Cavaliers honored him with a video during the second quarter.

Pistons crushed by turnovers, carelessness

Compared to his 1-for-8 shooting performance in the first half of Wednesday’s season opener, Cunningham got off to a much quicker start. He scored the Pistons’ first seven points and entered halftime with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting with three assists. He also bore responsibility for the Pistons’ 10-point halftime deficit, however.

He committed six of the Pistons’ 12 turnovers in the first half, with most of them being avoidable mistakes, such as telegraphing passes and getting the ball poked away. The Cavaliers scored 22 points off those 12 turnovers, negating an otherwise solid start for a Pistons team that got hot shooting from Beasley and Ivey, as well as Cunningham.

It doesn’t matter how well the Pistons do the ball when they turn it over at a productive rate. After committing just 12 turnovers in their opener, Friday was a regression they hope to overcome quickly with a home game with the Boston Celtics awaiting Saturday.

Ivey maintains preseason efficiency

After becoming the Pistons’ most reliable scorer in the preseason, Ivey has remained a rock in the starting lineup. He chipped in 17 points on Wednesday, then peaked against the Cavaliers and was a clear secondary option behind Cunningham.

They struggled to keep Ivey off the court, and he continued to knock down 3-pointers (2-for-5) and mid-range jumpers as well.

Bickerstaff split the two, with Ivey checking in for Cunningham near the end of the first and the latter reuniting with Ivey in the second quarter. The third-year guard has settled into his role and is showing he can find the bucket, with or without Cunningham on the floor.

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