Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff celebrates Caris LeVert for competitive fire vs. Cavs

It’s safe to say that Game 4 did not go according to plan for the Detroit Pistons. Up by four at the half, 56-52, the Pistons found themselves on the receiving end of a Donovan Mitchell avalanche in the second half, with Mitchell scoring 39 of his 43 points in the second half of play in the Pistons’ 112-103 loss to the Cavs in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

But this is not to say that the Pistons were completely devoid of bright spots even after the Cavs managed to tie the series at 2-2. In Game 4, Detroit saw a bit of an unlikely contributor in Caris LeVert pop off from the bench for 24 points on 10-16 shooting from the field, as he even ended up leading the team in scoring.

LeVert had only scored 14 points total in the series prior to tonight; in fact, for the entire playoffs thus far, the Pistons guard has just scored a total of 24 points, and he matched that in a single game on Monday.

After the game, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff praised LeVert for bringing his A-game despite the loss.

“I thought he came out and gave us what we needed. He gave us a great spark on both ends of the floor. LeVert is a true competitor and understands the moment, how important these games are, how much they mean to us and to him and his journey. He doesn’t want to take this for granted,” Bickerstaff said, via Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News.

“LeVert is a true competitor and understands the moment.”

Bickerstaff speaks on Caris LeVert, who finished with a team-best 24 points in the #Pistons Game 4 loss to the Cavs. pic.twitter.com/eOIw0EitgJ

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) May 12, 2026

This series might also mean something extra to LeVert, as he, like Bickerstaff, is a former member of the Cavs organization. The Cavs traded LeVert away at the 2025 trade deadline to bring DeAndre Hunter in, so perhaps he’s raring to show them as well what they’re missing.

One thing’s for sure: LeVert did earn himself a bigger role in the Pistons rotation with his excellent Game 4 performance.

The post Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff celebrates Caris LeVert for competitive fire vs. Cavs appeared first on ClutchPoints.