PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jalen Duren had 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons held off the Portland Trail Blazers 110-102 on Monday night after blowing a 21-point lead.

Ausar Thompson added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons (23-6). Duncan Robinson scored 15 and Cade Cunningham had 14 before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers (12-17) with 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting but also committed eight turnovers. Deni Avdija added 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Donovan Clingan had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Portland. Sidy Cissoko scored 16 off the bench.

After trailing by 21 late in the third quarter, Portland was still down nine when Cunningham fouled out with 8:32 remaining. But the Blazers outscored the Pistons 12-2 over the next 4:20 to take a one-point lead. Detroit then closed with an 11-2 run to put away the game.

BOSTON (AP) — Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle will be stepping down as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association at the end of the month and Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff will replace him.

“I guess now might be a good time to announce, I decided about a year ago that this would be my last year,” Carlisle said Monday night before the Pacers played in Boston. “This is my 20th year. My term will end at the end of this month. We’ve held our elections and the membership has made a tremendous and phenomenal choice to succeed me and that’s going to be J.B. Bickerstaff.”

The 66-year-old Carlisle is one win from the 1,000th of his coaching career. He spoke very highly of his soon-to-be replacement.

“J.B. is not only a trusted friend of mine and many, many coaches, he’s proven to be a great leader,” Carlisle said. ”He’s had to take over difficult situations in his career: interim coaching positions etc., etc.

“The job he did in Cleveland, taking that team from the lottery to winning in the playoffs was phenomenal. The job he’s done in Detroit the last year and a half speaks for itself. He’s a great leader and passionate guy for coaches.”

Bickerstaff, 46, started his coaching career with Charlotte as an assistant in 2004. He was an associate head coach with Memphis until becoming interim head coach on Nov. 27, 2017. He became the Grizzlies’ head coach on May 1, 2018.

In February 2020, he was promoted to Cleveland’s head coach after John Beilein resigned.

Bickerstaff was hired as Pistons coach on July 3, 2024.

“I congratulate J.B.,” Carlisle said. “This will be a life-changing experience for him. It has been for me.”

Bickerstaff’s father, Bernie, 81, was a longtime NBA coach before moving into front office roles. Carlisle said he’d like to see Bernie have his place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“We’re behind the scenes working trying to help Bernie be recognized by the Hall of Fame as a contributor,” Carlisle said. “There are so many ways that he influenced the game.”

— By KEN POWTAK, Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Davis added 15 points and the Dallas Mavericks recovered to beat the Detroit Pistons 116-114 in overtime Thursday night after blowing an 18-point third-quarter lead.

Flagg, who will turn 19 on Sunday, is averaging 25.4 points over his last eight games. The Mavericks (11-18) have won six of their last eight.

Cade Cunningham had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double this season for the East-leading Pistons (21-6), who have gone 6-4 following a 15-2 start. Jalen Duren had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Davis’ alley-oop from Flagg put Dallas ahead 114-112 with 3:10 left in overtime. After Cunningham’s bank shot tied it with 1:49 remaining, Davis’ dunk with 1:32 accounted for the final points.

Cunningham’s floater with seven seconds left missed, leaving him 2 for 7 in overtime. Duren grabbed the rebound, missed a shot beneath the basket, and Davis grabbed the rebound with 0.9 seconds left.

The Pistons played without two starters much of the night. Ausar Thompson was ejected late in the first half after disputing a foul and making contact with official John Goble, and Duncan Robinson left after injuring a knee early in the third period.

Cunningham received a technical foul in the final minute of the first half, and Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff got one as thee were leaving the court at halftime.

Davis, who missed Dallas’ previous game with a left calf contusion, shot 7 for 18 from the floor after missing his first eight shots.

Detroit outscored Dallas 30-15 on second-chance points with 25 offensive rebounds. But the Pistons shot a season-worst 18.2% on 3-pointers (6 for 33).

Before the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said there’s still no schedule for the return of nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving following ACL surgery last March. “In another month, we’ll give you an update,” Kidd said.

Up next

Pistons: Host Charlotte on Saturday.

Mavericks: Visit Philadelphia on Saturday.

DETROIT — Each time Cade Cunningham steps onto the floor, his talents put him up against the best defenders the league has to offer. On a nightly basis, Cunningham focuses on maintaining his All-NBA status against numerous defenders, but he is “thankful” that he doesn’t have to account for Isaiah Stewart.

Cunningham has been teammates with Stewart since the Detroit Pistons drafted him as the No. 1 pick in 2021. Over the years, he has watched as Stewart established himself as one of the league’s premier defenders.

This season, Stewart’s defensive production has been a central part of the Pistons’ best start in 20 years. With a 19-5 record, Detroit ranks fourth in the league in defense, posting a net rating of 111.3 while holding opponents to 113.3 points per game. The Pistons’ defensive success has been a collaborative effort, but no player has been at the forefront of the team’s defense than Stewart.

“He has always been big-time. I played against him in high school, and he was always a presence down there,” Cunningham said. “We have put Stew in so many positions and made him have to figure it out, and he always does. His feel for the game and IQ are super slept on. He just knows where to be and when to be there. That’s why he can make so many plays.”

Stewart is an elite defender, demonstrating the versatility necessary for today’s NBA. He is a big man who can switch on ball and defend guards out on the perimeter, while his hustle and activity help the Pistons get stops through deflections and 50-50 balls.

He has shown every attribute that has led his teammates to campaign for Defensive Player of the Year honors. In November, Stewart was a finalist for Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month — an award that went to the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes.

However, no defensive skill set has been displayed more prominently than Stewart’s ability to protect the rim. His shot-blocking has led coach J.B. Bickerstaff to deem Stewart as “the best defensive center in the league.”

“It means a lot because he sees it every single day,” Stewart said. “He knows how much I care about defense and how I have a real passion for that side of the ball. He knows that and he appreciates that, and that means a lot to me.”

Not on ‘Beef Stew’

Stewart had a career year on the defensive end last season. He registered a career-high 1.4 blocks per game and led all reserves in the category while ranking 11th league-wide. However, 24 games into this season, Stewart is on the trajectory to surpass last year’s success.

He is currently tied with Alex Sarr for third in the league for blocked shots, averaging 2.0 rejections per game — trailing only Victor Wembanyama (3.6) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (2.4). Stewart has stood out among his peers for his shot-blocking, erasing numerous dunk attempts.

“How much he cares about it. There will never be a shot that goes up that Stew doesn’t contest,” Ausar Thompson said. “So, for him to sacrifice his body, put his body on the line every night — it’s beautiful to watch.”

Stewart, a 6-foot-8 big man, has acknowledged that his stature makes him an easy target for players seeking a quick highlight dunk, but he often wins his one-on-one battles at the rim.

“I feel like some players seek it out, while others get there and then don’t know what to do,” Stewart said. “Then they would usually pass the ball, which helps us out on defense.”

Stewart has rejected a dozen dunk attempts this season, resembling the likes of Ben Wallace during his heyday in Detroit. In the Pistons’ 122-116 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Stewart blocked two dunk attempts, one of which was against Shaedon Sharpe, who has established himself as one of the league’s most gifted dunkers.

The moment occurred midway through the fourth quarter when Sharpe attempted a one-handed dunk over Stewart, who blocked it with the tips of his fingers. The rejected accounted for one of the four blocks Stewart had on the night, marking the fourth time this season he finished a game with four or more rejections.

“He has the best timing in the league. No one time dunks and layups better than he does,” Cunningham said. “It is honestly kind of scary. It is almost like he has finger tips made of vibranium … I think he is the best defensive player in the league.”

Stewart’s rim protection is a testament to his fearlessness of ending up on the wrong side of the highlight, but it is also an example of his ability to apply the lessons he learned throughout his six-year career. There was a time when Stewart found himself on the wrong end of a poster. Instead of shying away from the moment, Stewart used those experiences to learn how to find his timing and patience.

However, his shot-blocking also demonstrates Bickerstaff’s system. By orchestrating a defensive scheme to get the most out of his players, Bickerstaff quickly realized that Stewart had the intangibles to serve as Detroit’s most reliable defensive anchor.

“We put a lot of responsibility on them. They have to communicate with everybody, and their job is to protect the rim and the paint,” Bickerstaff said. “If you put guys who have the talent that these big guys have in those positions, it gives them opportunities to be playmakers, and it gives them the opportunities to dictate how games go.”

Stewart had a seamless transition when adapting to Bickerstaff’s technique last year. He felt Bickerstaff’s philosophies played to his strengths, which demand physicality, rebounding, rim protection and screen setting.

He has since catapulted up the list as one of the NBA’s best defenders, with the potential to receive some form of league recognition come mid-May.

“He is the most versatile center as a defender in the league. There is not a guy out on the perimeter or the post that he cannot guard,” Bickerstaff said. “He means so much to us because he is the guy who has to erase things, cover up things, and he takes on so many assignments. There are so many things that we ask him to do. I am hard-pressed to find a better defensive center than him in the league.”

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 23 points and 12 assists and the Detroit Pistons beat Milwaukee 124-112 on Saturday night to end the Bucks’ 15-game winning streak in Detroit.

Milwaukee came into the season with a 13-game winning streak against the Pistons, but Detroit has won two of three this season.

Jalen Duren had 16 points and 16 rebounds for Detroit, which has won four of five to improve to 19-5, with the only loss coming on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Isaiah Stewart added 19 points.

Kevin Porter Jr. had a season-high 32 points for the Bucks, who have lost 10 of 12. Kyle Kuzma added 15 points.

Detroit shot 57.1% (20-35) from the floor in the first half, including 50% (7-14) on 3-pointers, but only built a 61-56 lead thanks to 13 turnovers that led to 20 Milwaukee points. Cunningham had 15 points and eight assists while Porter scored 19 on 7-8 shooting.

The Pistons started the third quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 74-59 lead, and Milwaukee was still down by 10 going into the fourth.

The Bucks never threatened in the fourth, trailing by 25 when both teams started emptying the benches. Pistons guard Marcus Sasser made his season debut, having missed the first 23 games with a hip injury.

Up next

Bucks: Host Boston on Thursday night.

Pistons: Host Atlanta on Friday night.

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and the Detroit Pistons rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-116 on Friday night.

Cunningham also had three assists in the quarter and finished

with nine. Jalen Duren added 18 points and eight rebounds.

Detroit allowed 22 points off turnovers. The Pistons averaged only 15.0 points off turnovers in their 15-2 start, but have been over 20 in seven straight games while going 4-3.

Deni Avdjia had 35 points for Portland. Jeremi Grant had 29, and Shaedon Sharpe 28 — and the rest of the team had 24.

Detroit took a 112-110 lead on Cunningham’s steal and layup with 2:22 to play, and Duncan Robinson scored five points in the next two possessions to make it a seven-point game.

Avdija had 29 points in the first three quarters, helping Portland to an 85-84 lead. The Pistons scored 65 in the first half, but only got 19 points in the third.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons won their 13th straight game to tie the franchise record, holding off the Indiana Pacers 122-117 on Monday night.

The Pistons matched winning streaks by their 1989-90 and 2003-04 championship teams, two seasons after losing 28 in a row to break the NBA season record and tie the overall mark. Eastern Conference-leading Detroit is 15-2.

Down 18 early in the fourth quarter, the Pistons pulled as close as two points. Bennedict Mathurin missed a 3-pointer with a chance to tie it with 11 seconds

Caris LeVert added 19 points for Detroit, and Jalen Duren had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jaden Ivey scored 12 points in his second game back after breaking his left fibula in January.

Pascal Siakam had 24 points for injury-ravaged Indiana. Jarace Walker added 21. The Pacers have lost 10 of 11 to fall to 2-15.

Indiana has been lost without Tyrese Haliburton, the star guard who tore his right Achilles in the Pacers’ Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals.

Detroit outscored Indiana 36-23 in the second quarter for a 71-55 lead, The Pistons shot 58.5% from the field in the half, hitting seven of 14 3-pointers.

The Pistons led 101-88 after three quarters.

Up next

Pistons: At Boston on Wednesday night in an NBA Cup game.

Pacers: At Toronto on Wednesday night in an NBA Cup game.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 29 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Detroit Pistons capitalized on sizzling shooting to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 129-116 on Saturday night for their 12th straight victory.

Detroit’s Jaden Ivey played 15 minutes and scored 10 points in his first game since breaking his left fibula on Jan. 1. Tobias Harris scored 18 points while playing for the first time since Nov. 1 after dealing with a sprained right ankle.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a second straight game due to an adductor strain.

The Pistons are one victory away from matching the longest winning streak in franchise history. Detroit won 13 straight games in 1989-90 and 2003-04, and the Pistons went on to win the NBA title both seasons.

Detroit also ended a 13-game skid in this series by beating the Bucks for the first time since a 115-106 triumph at Milwaukee on Jan. 3, 2022. That had been tied for the second-longest active win streak by any one team against another.

The longest such active streak is owned by the Los Angeles Clippers, who beat the Charlotte Hornets for a 15th straight time Saturday as James Harden scored 55 points in a 131-116 game.

Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said during his pregame availability that Cunningham had brought up the Pistons’ lack of success against the Bucks to the rest of the team earlier in the day.

Jalen Duren had 19 points and Duncan Robinson 15 for Detroit, which shot 53.3% (16 of 30) from 3-point range and 62.8% (49 of 78) overall. Ryan Rollins had 24 and Bobby Portis added 18 for Milwaukee.

The Bucks have lost four straight to drop below .500 for the first time this season.

Detroit pulled ahead for good in the second quarter and led by as many as 29.

Up next

Pistons: Visit the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Bucks: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

— By STEVE MEGARGEE, Associated Press

The post The Metro: Gambling in sports and Pistons icon’s legacy amid scandal appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

DETROIT — While Jaden Ivey still might be a long way from returning to the Detroit Pistons‘ lineup, he is making positive strides. Ivey has begun on-court work as part of his rehabilitation process following an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in the preseason. There is no specific timeframe for his return to game action, however.

Ivey was at the Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center on Friday for shootaround. He did not participate in any activities as the team prepared for their Emirates NBA Cup game against the Philadelphia 76ers, but did partake in a brief on-court workout that involved stationary shooting.

Ivey underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on Oct. 16. His recent progression to on-court work corresponds with the team’s four-week re-evaluation.

“It sucks, we all hated to see that,” Cade Cunningham said in October. “But his spirit never dropped. He just put his head down and worked, and that is who he is. He doesn’t get ahead of himself. He just keeps his head down and works. I know he will be fine and come back better than ever, but he has to get all of that stuff cleaned up.”

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed that Ivey suffered the knee injury during training camp. It came while the 23-year-old guard was working his way back from the broken left fibula he sustained on Jan. 1. The Pistons’ medical team, after completing its assessment, decided Ivey should undergo the arthroscopic procedure.

Ivey’s latest injury has delayed his long-awaited return from the broken left fibula that prematurely ended his career-best 2024-25 season. Last season, Ivey appeared in 30 games, averaging a career-best 17.6 points on 40.9% shooting from behind the arc, along with 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Before the arthroscopic surgery, Ivey appeared in one preseason game, a 128-112 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 6. He played 13 minutes, notching seven points and one assist at FedEx Forum.

“It is tough for him; that is what you feel more than anything,” Bickerstaff said. “Going through what he went through last year, working his way back, and then having this happen to him, it was frustrating for him.”

DETROIT — Daniss Jenkins’ cool-down Monday night was different from anything he had experienced with the Detroit Pistons. With an ice pack wrapped around his right knee inside Little Caesars Arena, Jenkins sat at his locker after a career-best performance.

He had recorded 24 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists to lift the Pistons to a 137-135 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards. The pinnacle of his night came during the final seconds of regulation when Jenkins nailed the game-tying 3-point field goal after coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s original plan faltered.

“You dream of stuff like this,” Jenkins said. “To come out and hit that type of shot, I was just filled with a lot of joy and excitement. … Humbly and respectfully, I’ve always known what I was capable of, and I always believed in my preparation for this moment.”

But sitting on the right side of Jenkins’ locker was a red, white and blue WWE championship-style belt he received from Caris LeVert during the team’s postgame celebration. The WWE belt — also known as the “Belt to Ass” — is awarded to the player who provides the Pistons with the most significant lift, putting the team in the best position to win the game.

It’s more than simply giving the award to the player who scores the most points, given that the belt was several lockers down from Cade Cunningham, who notched a career-high 46 points in the win.

While Jenkins’ heroics were the reason he held possession of the belt, the honor marked the second time in three games that the Pistons’ depth was recognized. That depth has played a central role in Detroit’s 9-2 start, going into Wednesday’s game.

“The depth we keep talking about is important. We believe that the guys that we have here from top to bottom can help contribute to winning, and we’re lucky,” Bickerstaff said. “Give Trajan (Langdon) and the front-office group a ton of credit for the way that they constructed the team.”

The Pistons have faced several injuries in the first 11 games. Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser have not played at all, while minor injuries have caused LeVert, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, and Ausar Thompson to miss time.

Each absence has created a void for Bickerstaff to fill. However, the injuries have also given the Pistons an opportunity to delve deeper into their roster, helping the franchise maintain its early-season success, including a seven-game winning streak.

Jenkins’ performance against the Wizards came three days after Bobi Klintman helped the Pistons secure a 125-107 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

“When you hear your name called, you have to be ready,” Klintman told The Detroit News. “I’m in the gym every day. Going out there, I always have a belief in myself, and the coaches believe in me too, which has been big time.”

It marked the first time in Klintman’s career that he received meaningful minutes in a regular-season game, an achievement that came as a surprise. He played 14 minutes and scored eight points, but his most significant impact came due to the hustle and effort he displayed inside Barclays Center.

Klintman nabbed five rebounds and secured a handful of 50-50 balls that created scoring opportunities for the Pistons. His efforts helped Detroit overcome an early 10-point deficit. By the end of the night, Klintman walked on the team bus with the championship belt lying across his shoulder.

“I wasn’t expecting to get the belt. We had two monster performances by J.D. (Jalen Duren) and Cade; one of them should have gotten it. But I am happy they gave it to me,” Klintman said. “It just shows that the team is with me in my journey. They have watched me put in the work, and to get that opportunity was big time.”

At the start of the season, there was uncertainty surrounding the roles of Jenkins and Klintman. Both players came into their second seasons sitting at the end of the Pistons’ bench and were prime candidates to spend much of the year developing with the Motor City Cruise.

But through workouts and five-on-five scrimmages at the Henry Ford Health Pistons Performance Center during training camp, Jenkins and Klintman made Bickerstaff reconsider how to distribute minutes among his players.

Nearly a month into the 2025-26 season, Jenkins and Klintman have become unsung heroes. While their contributions have led to early success for the Pistons, it’s evident that the franchise is well on its way to establishing itself as a true contender in the Eastern Conference.

“I always try to make my presence felt, whatever that looks like,” Jenkins said. “Wherever I am, you are going to know that Daniss Jenkins was there.”

SEATTLE (AP) — Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88.

The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death.

Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches.

He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team — which he coached to gold at the Atlanta Games.

___

By TIM BOOTH and ANDREW DESTIN

Tim Booth, a former Associated Press sports writer, was the principal writer of this obituary.

 

DETROIT — Slow starts have been a significant issue for the Pistons through the first five games. They have yet to win a first quarter and have consistently ranked near the bottom in every statistical category.

The Pistons rank 30th in points per game (25.6) and field goal percentage (36.8%) in the first quarter heading into Saturday’s interconference match against the Dallas Mavericks in Mexico City. Detroit also ranks 27th in points allowed in the first quarter, giving up an average of 34 points.

From the coaching staff to the players, everyone has emphasized the importance of solving their first-quarter woes, but no one can pinpoint the logic behind the team’s subpar starts.

“There are a lot of things we can point out, but we just have to self-reflect and see what is going on. Eliminate the problem and go out there and try to (solve) it,” forward Ron Holland II said.

The slow starts have forced the Pistons to rely on their resilience to claw back into the game. Playing catch-up has led to a 3-2 start to the season.

While Cade Cunningham’s second-half average of 14.2 points on 44.2% shooting has been a central figure in Detroit’s comeback efforts, nothing has been more essential to the Pistons’ rally success than the production from the bench.

“If there is a slow start, the bench mob, we can get into the game and bring the energy. That is what we are here for,” Holland said. “As a bench mob member, we are all waiting for our names to be called. Once we get out there, we are like, ‘Let’s do it, we are here now,’ no matter how the game is going. If the first five get off to a great start, we want to keep it going. If they get off to a slow start, we want to lift them so we can get a run going.”

The Pistons’ bench has been one of the most productive in the league. Detroit’s reserve unit ranks 10th in scoring league-wide, averaging 40.2 points per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. On defense, they have held opponents to an average of 43.4 points per game.

While averaging 11.6 points, Holland has taken the helm as the unit’s leading scorer. Still, the Pistons’ bench production has been a collective effort, with Javonte Green and Isaiah Stewart displaying their two-way talents and leading the Pistons in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.7% and 58.3%, respectively.

Having a greater offensive responsibility has not hindered Stewart’s role as Detroit’s defensive anchor. He is in a four-way tie league-wide for the most rejections as a reserve, averaging two blocks per game.

“Those guys are dependable. They’re pros. They work their tails off, and they just make sure that they keep themselves in position to be ready when their numbers are called,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They’re competitive, they’re team-first guys. They’ve given us a spark, and they’ve changed the game for us when they’ve come in with that energy and tried to propel our starters.”

In each of their three victories, the Pistons have had several players come off the bench and play essential roles. Paul Reed was critical in last week’s 115-111 victory over the Houston Rockets, recording 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks after the losses of Jalen Duren (ejection) and Stewart (foul trouble).

Reed wasn’t the only reserve to step up for the Pistons in that game. Late in the fourth quarter, two-way guard Daniss Jenkins hit a 3-pointer that gave Detroit a 101-99 lead, as the Pistons’ second unit outscored the Rockets’ bench 43-25.

The Pistons’ bench received an additional boost in Wednesday’s 135-116 victory over the Orlando Magic with Caris LeVert’s return. After missing the last three games due to hamstring tightness, LeVert’s energy and intensity on both ends complemented the second unit.

“We have to start games better, that has been a point of emphasis for us,” LeVert said. “We know once we get back into the game, it’s in our hands. It is tough when you are playing from behind.”

A strong bench unit is crucial for the Pistons to achieve their ambitious goals and expectations, as it can significantly enhance the team’s overall performance.

However, Detroit must find a way to address a troubling trend just nine days into the season. If the Pistons continue to risk slow starts in games, their comeback efforts could eventually lead to disaster.

“I don’t like them (slow starts),” Cunningham said. “I want to start fast. I want to start playing well.”

HOUSTON — New Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson doesn’t know all the details surrounding the federal investigations of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. The arrest also included former NBA player Damon Jones.

But he does know that Rozier is a friend, and he was “sad” to see his former Heat teammate arrested on Thursday. Rozier and Billups, a former Pistons great, were among the more than 30 people charged with participating in criminal cases alleging sprawling separate schemes to rig sports bets and poker games involving Mafia families, according to federal authorities. Rozier and Robinson played together for two seasons in Miami.

“It’s hard to see, like, omnipresent, the betting stuff is for all of us,” Robinson told The Detroit News on Friday. “Obviously, recently we’ve seen the other side of that. Terry’s a friend, Terry’s a former teammate of mine. That’s tough to see, you know. I don’t know exactly all the details of what happened, but just from, like, a human standpoint, I feel for him, and I was sad to see that.”

The accusations have cast a massive cloud over the NBA and sparked widespread reaction. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he has had multiple discussions with his players. While this is an NBA requirement, Bickerstaff has conducted several additional conversations beyond that.

“We just understand how difficult it is for these guys now, the amount of pressure that’s on them, but how careful you have to be,” Bickerstaff said. “Any information that can be spread that’s not available to everybody else, who should you share that information with. Having to have hard conversations with your family, because it could be an innocent thing.

“We have seen now what those things can turn into and how they can spread and just how valuable this information is. It is a difficult situation overall. But once you introduce gambling the way the sports world has now, there are going to be some dangerous situations for everybody. We all need to do a better job of protecting one another.”

The NBA has encountered multiple challenges related to gambling recently. In April 2024, Jontay Porter was issued a lifetime ban after the league’s investigation.

A year later, former Pistons guard Malik Beasley became the subject of a federal gambling investigation, which led Detroit to withdraw its three-year, $42 million offer in June. Although he has been cleared by the NBA, he remains a subject of interest to the FBI.

“It’s a tough situation that you don’t like to see,” Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We have a meeting coming up to talk about it to reiterate that point. Don’t know a ton of information on the specifics of those instances, but something you obviously know about players, coaches, and everybody involved, and something you have to stay away from.”

HOUSTON (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 21 points and made two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to help the Detroit Pistons hold on to beat the Houston Rockets 115-111 on Friday night.

Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff got his 300th career win, making him and his father Bernie Bickerstaff (419) the first father-son duo to in NBA history to each reach 300 career wins.

Paul Reed’s layup made it 113-110 before Houston cut the lead to two when Alperen Sengun made 1 of 2 free throws with 1:32 remaining.

Both teams missed 3-point attempts before Detroit’s Ausar Thompson missed a 3 with 35 seconds left and Reed blocked Sengun’s shot in the lane 16.4 seconds to go.

Houston was forced to foul and Cunningham sunk both free throws to make it 115-111 and give the Pistons their first win of the season after they lost to Chicago in their opener.

Thompson had 19 points for Detroit to outdo identical twin brother Houston’s Amen Thompson, who finished with 10.

Kevin Durant had 37 points for the Rockets and was 16 of 18 from the free throw line. He was 3 of 3 from 3-point range after missing all four of his long-range shots Tuesday in his first game with the Rockets after this summer’s blockbuster trade from Phoenix.

The Pistons led by 5 after a 3-pointer by Cunningham with about 8½ minutes to go before Durant scored all of Houston’s points in an 8-3 run to tie it at 101-all midway through the quarter.

The Rockets trailed by 3 with about five minutes left when Durant tied it at 105 with a 3-pointer.

Detroit used a 6-0 run to take a 111-105 lead with three minutes left. Jabari Smith Jr. hit a 3-pointer for Houston after that and Durant made a pair of free throws to get Houston within 1 with less than two minutes to go.

Up Next

Pistons: Host Boston on Sunday.

Rockets: Host Brooklyn on Monday night.

— By KRISTIE RIEKEN, Associated Press

The post NBA head coach and player charged in sprawling sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

MIAMI (AP) — As a new NBA season opened this week, coach Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers received their annual briefing on the do’s and don’ts of gambling.

Betting in casinos is generally allowed. Betting on other sports, provided it is legal, is also allowed.

Betting on NBA basketball is not.

For veterans of the sport, it’s the type of training that can seem routine — almost boring, perhaps. But the potential repercussions for breaking the rules are now abundantly clear after Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier were among nearly three dozen people arrested Thursday for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities.

The developments pose an unexpected challenge for a league that hoped to begin its season on a strong note, fueled by an opening night game watched by millions as it went into a thrilling double overtime. There have been amazing performances already: Victor Wembanyama scoring 40 points in his season debut with San Antonio, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 55 for Oklahoma City, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Denver’s Aaron Gordon putting on an I-can-top-this show.

Those should be the talk of the league right now. That’s not the case. All that has been overshadowed. The NBA now faces questions about the pervasiveness of gambling in basketball, and uncertainty about what might happen next.

“A shocking day,” said Carlisle, who said he unsuccessfully tried to connect with Billups to offer support. “This is a very serious situation.”

The accusations against Rozier and Billups

Rozier, who was arrested in Orlando, Florida, where the Heat opened the season against the Magic, stands accused of telling an associate that he was going to play sparingly in a game on March 23, 2023, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier played just under 10 minutes and fell well short of many of the lines set for prop bets regarding his performance.

More than $200,000 worth of wagers were won, federal officials said, based on the information Rozier shared.

Billups — a Hall of Fame player — was arrested in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and charged with being involved in a poker scheme that federal officials said cheated victims out of at least $7 million. Billups was one of 31 people arrested on the poker-related charges, and some of those arrested were, according to officials, members of three Mafia families.

The indictments for the insider betting and poker cases were separate, but it appears Billups was mentioned — albeit not by name — in the betting one as well. Someone who matches Billups’ resume, an Oregon resident who played in the NBA from 1997 through 2014 and has been a coach since 2021, was alleged to have given insider information to someone who used it to craft wagers involving Trail Blazers’ games in 2023.

That person is described in that document only as Co-Conspirator 8.

Billups and Rozier appeared in court on Thursday and are out of the league indefinitely, being placed on leave by the NBA just hours after their arrests. An attorney for Billups called his client a “man of integrity” while a lawyer for Rozier said the player is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

In a statement, the NBA said it takes “these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

Betting is big in pro sports

Yet betting has become big business for the NBA, as it has with virtually all pro sports leagues in this era where sports wagering is legal in much of the country. The practice is allowed in some form in 38 states now. Missouri will join that list later this year, and it’s also permitted in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

“It’s a world that’s a different world than it was a few years ago with the advent of legalized gambling,” Carlisle noted.

Some leaders in the league encouraged the growth of legalized gambling. In 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote an op-ed in The New York Times noting a “thriving underground business” of illegal sports gambling that “operates free from regulation or oversight.” He called for a “different approach.”

A 2018 Supreme Court decision ultimately cleared the way for the modern era of legalized sports gambling. Today, the NBA has two official gaming partners, FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbook, and has relationships with at least 12 authorized gaming operators. There is even a portion of the NBA’s website devoted to gambling — NBABet.

As legalized gambling has taken off, Silver has expressed some worries about the implications.

“Obviously, I’m very concerned if there’s any illegal activity going on in our league,” he said in July. “But I’d say similar to the way a public financial market works, the fact that there might be insider trading doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to shut down those public markets. Often the way they are catching insider traders is because they have a system, a complex system, that detects aberrational behavior.”

“But,” he added, “anybody in this league, any player who engages in that activity, there’s no question they are putting their livelihood at risk.”

Golden State coach Steve Kerr said an unfortunate reality for players and coaches in this betting era is that fans reach out — often angrily, sometimes while sitting courtside — to complain that this or that happened and they lost their bet or parlay.

Kerr has even gotten emails from people who want to complain about how they believe he has personally cost them money.

“Our guys get nasty social media posts from people who have bet on games,” Kerr said. “And that’s the thing that I don’t like about this the most. Our players should not have to deal with that, but they do. … It’s just kind of the modern life.”

Billups’ arrest hit home for the Denver Nuggets. Rodney Billups, Chauncey’s brother, is a member of Denver’s coaching staff.

Michael Porter Jr. was with the Nuggets in 2024 when his brother, Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, was banned for life after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and wagered on games — sometimes even betting on the Raptors to lose.

There have been other probes since, none quite like what the NBA finds itself dealing with now.

“This is not how we want to start the season in the NBA,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said.

— By TIM REYNOLDS, Associated Press

What can we expect from the Pistons this season? Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News provides a player-by-player analysis leading into the start of training camp. Next in the series: Jalen Duren

Last season

Jalen Duren left Wells Fargo Center celebrating a team win. The Detroit Pistons avoided a 0-5 start to the 2024-25 season with a 105-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 30. But through the celebration, Duren felt frustration on an individual level.

Duren had fouled out. He played 10 scoreless minutes against Philadelphia. After picking up his sixth personal foul early in the fourth quarter, Duren had a dejected expression on his face while walking back to the team bench.

Duren’s poor performance against the 76ers was indicative of the subpar start he had to the year. During the first quarter of the season, Duren struggled to adjust to J.B. Bickerstaff’s coaching philosophies. At times, his hardships led fans to want Isaiah Stewart to take over as the Pistons’ starting center.

Bickerstaff continued to have confidence in Duren despite his struggles. During the second half of the season, Duren was one of the most productive centers in the league. With 28 double-doubles, he averaged 14.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks through the final 41 games of the regular season.

Duren reached his peak during the Pistons’ 117-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on April 4. In that game, he led the short-handed Pistons with 21 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, four blocks and a steal. The game showed a glimpse of Duren’s full potential.

In the first 41 games, he averaged 10.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks.

2025-26 outlook

If Duren can continue his momentum from last season, the 2025-26 campaign could be a breakout year, potentially leading to an All-Star selection come February. Only Ivica Zubac (34) and Nikola Jokić (31) recorded more double-doubles at center than Duren during the final 41 games of the regular season. He also ranked eighth at his position in rebounding.

Duren possesses all the necessary tools to continue establishing himself as one of the league’s best big men. There is still room for Duren to improve defensively. However, he can further distinguish himself from his peers at the position by the Pistons utilizing his playmaking attributes more.

His ability to keep the Pistons’ offense flowing with his passing became one of the central features that helped Detroit become the first team in league history to triple its win total. Duren had 15 games of five or more assists.

In February, during the Pistons’ impressive eight-game winning streak, Duren averaged 4.8 assists. A standout performance to showcase his playmaking skills as a big man occurred in Detroit’s 125-112 victory over the 76ers on Feb. 7, when he recorded a career-high seven assists.

An ascension to All-Star status is crucial for the Pistons’ success next season. It would also be an ideal way for Duren to secure his place with the franchise, as he will be a restricted free agent after this season if he is not extended.

“J.D. is an all-around talent,” Bickerstaff says. “I think it’s one of those things that goes unsaid about him is his ability to pass the ball and play-make. We’ve seen him in situations push the ball the length of the court and make the right read, whether it’s a pass or a finish. We’ve seen him hit cutters and tight spaces. He’s a very good all-around basketball player.”