The Detroit Pistons limp into the final calendar month of the season Friday after losing four of their last five. It won’t get any easier for them as they will host the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls (54-20, 22-15 away) have beaten Detroit in 10 straight games. The Bulls haven’t been this dominant against their division rivals since Michael Jordan led them to 19 in a row from April 12, 1993-March 22, 1997.
Derrick Rose has taken Jordan’s place as the Piston killer. He is averaging 24.7 points on 52.9 percent shooting to go with 6.9 assists per game in the nine games he’s played during the streak.
Rose had 10 of the Bulls’ 31 assists in Chicago’s 108-91 win over Minnesota on Wednesday. Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 14 rebounds to notch his second double-double in three games. His production was much needed as Joakim Noah had to sit out with a sprained right ankle. He will be a game-time decision against Detroit.
The Detroit Pistons (26-48, 19-18 home) look like they will miss the playoffs for the second straight year after eight consecutive appearances from 2001-2009. The Pistons are also two losses away from a second straight 50-loss season. The last time they suffered back-to-back 50-loss seasons was in 1993-94 and 1994-95.
Former Bull and current Piston Ben Gordon has yet to win a game against his former team. He is averaging 10.7 points on 37.5 percent shooting in seven losing efforts against Chicago. He is averaging a career-worst 11.8 points per game this season.
I'm a basketball fan from Vancouver, Canada. Losing the Grizzlies was bitter-sweet. They sucked balls, so I never really started supporting them, but now I only get to catch games on TV.