The Detroit Pistons opened their regular season with a statement, and J.B. Bickerstaff wasted little time putting a label on what he wants this team to be.
Detroit rallied for a 121-113 win over the Celtics, a comeback that set the tone for the season opener and gave the Pistons an early jolt of momentum. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren were both on the floor for the win, and Duren’s night carried extra weight after he recently signed a five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed contract with the team.
Afterward, Bickerstaff made it clear he cares less about the opponent or outside chatter than the way Detroit plays.
"The opponent doesn't matter. What people say doesn't matter," Bickerstaff said, according to ESPN.
"The only thing that matters is if we play Pistons basketball. I thought tonight we found enough stretches where we did, and when we played Pistons basketball, we're hard to beat.
That's the only thing that matters."
Duren echoed that theme, saying the victory was bigger than just the final score. He told reporters the comeback "just embodied the culture and what we're trying to build here."
He added, per ESPN, "We're a team that's known to be gritty, known to get it out the mud, known to never quit, and that's our identity. Even the guys who are new here are embodying that. And that's why we were able to have the outcome that we had."
Before tipoff, Cunningham also addressed the crowd and thanked fans for their support. "All my teammates, the entire Pistons organization wants to say thank you for all the love and support," he said.
Detroit’s next test comes Friday in Florida, when the Pistons face the Miami Heat.
In Other News...
Pistons Opener Hinted At A Change Fans Have Wanted For Years
The Pistons entered the 2026 offseason determined to modernize an offense that too often settled for too few threes, and their regular-season opener against the Celtics offered the clearest sign yet that the message may have landed. Detroit launched 40 three-pointers in a 121-113 win, a sharp jump from last seasons 30.8 per game, and the shot profile alone looked different enough to catch the eye even before the comeback from a 22-point hole.
Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green, Isaiah Joe and Kevin Huerter all factored into the spread-the-floor approach, giving Detroit the kind of perimeter volume fans have wanted to see for years. One game does not make a season, of course, but after spending the offseason talking about the need to improve from deep, the Pistons at least gave themselves a template worth watching closely as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Already Has The Pistons Facing A Tough Defensive Question
John Collins first night in a Pistons uniform offered an early glimpse of both the upside and the problems Detroit will have to sort through. He gave the team some useful minutes with a block and a few offensive rebounds, the kind of activity that can matter in a game where every possession counts. But the bigger takeaway came on the other end, where Collins had a rough time holding up defensively in his new setting.
Detroit tried to work around it by shifting Collins to center, hoping the matchup would settle in, but the adjustment did not really solve the issue. Paul George found room to score against him, and the problem only looked more complicated when bigger opponents came into play, including Mitchell Robinson. For a Pistons group trying to piece together lineups early, Collins fit may end up being defined less by what he can add and more by how they hide what he gives up. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Turned Bostons Big Debut Into A Celtics Problem
Bostons season opener quickly turned into a reminder that early NBA games can still say plenty about where a team is headed. The Celtics built a 22-point lead against Detroit, only to let it slip away in a loss that had Jayson Tatum finishing with 13 points on rough shooting while Paul George carried the offensive load with 38 points and also made his presence felt on the defensive end.
Social media did what it always does after a collapse like that, with fans split between frustration at the coaching and player execution and calls to remember how long the season is. From Detroits perspective, it was the kind of result that can travel well beyond one night, because handing Boston an opener like that immediately changes the tone around the Celtics and gives the Pistons an early jolt of attention. [Read more 🡒]