The Detroit Pistons clawed their way back into Game 3 after falling behind by double digits in the second half and were on the verge of coming away with the comeback win against the Cavaliers. Late-game execution and mistakes by Detroit proved to be too costly as the Cavs held on to the win to bring the series to 2-1.
While there were a few individual mistakes that need to be cleaned up, like Cade Cunningham's turnovers in the end, head coach JB Bickerstaff also deserves a big portion of the blame.
Jalen Duren shouldn't be a no-brainer closer for the Pistons going forward
Despite the fact that the Pistons played their best basketball without Jalen Duren, Bickerstaff chose to close the game with the 22-year-old center.
Until the end of the game, it was Paul Reed who had made a big positive impact that helped the Pistons take the lead in the fourth quarter. Not only was Reed making plays in the short roll following a pick-and-roll with Cade Cunningham, but he was also effective on the offensive board. When he got the ball in the paint, he was able to either finish or get to the free-throw line.
Reed finished the game with 11 points on 4/4 shooting from the field in less than ten minutes of action. The Pistons were +11 in those minutes.
With four and a half minutes left in the game and the score tied, Bickerstaff put Duren back in the game over Reed. The Pistons lost the remaining part of the game 15 to 8. Duren was held to zero field goal attempts and points in that span.
Duren ended up finishing the game with 11 points, four rebounds, one assist, and three turnovers on 5/8 from the field. He was -14 in 29 minutes. While he had a few moments where he overpowered Jarrett Allen on the interior, it was another underwhelming performance from the All-Star big man.
After the game, Bickerstaff was asked about his decision to go back to Duren over Reed at the end. Per the Detroit Free Press' Omari Sankofa, Bickerstaff said, "I think JD’s done a great job for us all year long. Reed obviously provides a spark for us. We went back with JD."
This is an admission that Duren is only closing games because of his regular-season performance. While plenty of stars around the league have earned the right to close games even when they are not playing well, the Duren situation is quickly becoming a problem.
This wasn't the first postseason game that Duren has struggled in 2026. He has been outplayed by opposing bigs more often than the other way around. At some point, he shouldn't close games just because he is an All-Star. Especially when the Pistons have two very capable backups in Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed, it becomes even less forgivable that Bickerstaff goes back to Duren when he isn't deserving of more minutes.
It will be fascinating to see if Duren will be on a shorter leash going forward. This could be a key factor in the series as we head to a crucial Game 4 in Cleveland.
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