In their season opener against the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons were hit with a technical foul for having six players on the court. The unusual incident occurred with 8:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, when the Pistons attempted to make substitutions during a dead ball.
The confusion began when rookie guard Ron Holland did not leave the court as intended, resulting in the Pistons having an extra player on the floor. As Cade Cunningham brought the ball up the court alongside Jaden Ivey, Simone Fontecchio, Jalen Duren, and Malik Beasley, Holland remained standing in the strong-side corner next to the Pistons’ bench.
Referees quickly noticed the mistake and blew the whistle, reviewing the situation before ultimately issuing a technical foul.
Pistons got a tech for having SIX players on the court 😅 pic.twitter.com/cTXPSiYEJ5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, 2024
Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin stepped to the line and made the free throw, bringing his team within one point. Indiana went on to complete the comeback, outscoring the Pistons 19-11 in the final minutes to secure a 115-109 victory.
Despite the embarrassing blunder, Pistons’ new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff remained positive about the team’s performance.
“It was a miscommunication, but we’ll learn from it and move forward,” Bickerstaff said. “We had a lot of positives tonight, and we’ll build on that.”
Cunningham led the Pistons with 28 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, while new additions Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all made solid contributions. The team will look to bounce back in their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the technical foul provided a humorous moment and will likely lead to jokes at the Pistons’ expense, the Pistons are determined to improve and avoid repeating last season’s struggles, which included a historic 28-game losing streak.
