Despite trailing by 15 points heading into the 4th quarter, the Detroit Pistons mounted a sizable comeback late in the game but ultimately came up short against the Chicago Bulls in the team’s season opener, 115-111. Pistons star Cade Cunningham was the team’s leading scorer with 23 points on the night, and he also dished out 10 assists and grabbed seven boards in what was an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance (8-for-24) from the fifth-year All-Star. 

The Pistons battled foul trouble early on, and the team struggled to keep its offense flowing once Jalen Duren exited the game early in the first quarter, and Detroit found itself trailing by 15 at halftime. After that, Ron Holland helped the Pistons stick in the game with quick hands on defense and a fast break-oriented mindset, and Detroit held tight for the third stanza before tying the game up late in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Chicago held tough at home and secured a four-point win in the season opener. 

Chicago sparks 25-7 run to end 1st quarter

When the first quarter began, Cunningham had everything at his disposal for the Pistons. Cunningham connected with Duren for a couple lob slam dunks early, and the Oklahoma State product made a few quick buckets to start the Pistons off on the right foot. At one point, Cunningham had scored or assisted on all 10 of Detroit’s initial points in the 2025-26 season.

Not long after, a quick whistle led Duren into foul trouble, and the Pistons starting center retreated to the bench with two personal fouls midway through the first quarter. The Bulls took advantage of that lineup change, and Chicago started sinking three-pointers more often, certainly at a higher clip than Detroit was on the other end. Isaiah Stewart left the game momentarily in the first quarter, which when combined with Detroit’s lack of transition game equaled a couple glaring problems for the Pistons. 

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In the second quarter, the Pistons continued to be outrebounded by a large margin, and Detroit was unable to get on the fast break too often, both facets which were supposed to be pillars of the team’s identity this season. The Pistons did claw the Bulls’ lead back to 15 points before the break, and that’s where the game rested at halftime. Chicago maintained a 30-15 edge in rebounds at the break to go along with a 46.7% rate from distance compared to Detroit’s 25% mark. 

Pistons mount big comeback in second half

Even though Cunningham’s shot wasn’t falling tonight, the playmaking point guard did a quality job at keeping his teammates involved and finished with 10 helpers in his debut. Although the Pistons trailed by 23 points at one stage, Holland and Stewart both started forcing turnovers on defense, and Detroit was able to turn those possessions into quick buckets to keep the Bulls within striking distance.

On the flip side, foul trouble was an issue for the Pistons throughout the night. Duren was limited in the first half due to fouls, and both Cunningham and Holland found themselves within reach of the ref’s whistle during the second half. Combine that with the fact the Pistons were shooting 4-for-17 at one point in the third quarter, and Detroit had an uphill battle to climb all night. 

However, the Pistons began to make that climb in the fourth quarter with a series of Cunningham buckets and a Holland triple in the corner to tie the game up late in the 4th quarter. With the game on the line, Cunningham converted a series of drives to keep it close, but Josh Giddey was composed at the free throw line and ultimately guided the Bulls to a four-point win in the season opener by a score of 115-111. 

Bright spots in the Pistons loss

Isaiah Stewart: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks in 25 minutes

Ron Holland: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocks in 27 minutes

The Detroit Pistons next game is on Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 pm against the Houston Rockets in a matchup between the Thompson Twins, Amen and Ausar.

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