The Detroit Pistons have turned in a lifeless perfomance against the Chicago Bulls, falling 95-117 and slumping to a 34-38 record.
The loss means the Detroit Pistons are now tied with the Chicago Bulls in the standings and now find themselves in an uphill battle to make it into the playoffs.
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Signs were worrying early, with Chicago pulling off a first quarter 0-13 run and jumping out to 25-13 lead.
There were spurts of life in the following three quarters, most of which came from Jon Leuer and Stanley Johnson, but these were never sustained enough to give the Pistons a serious shot at winning the game.
The biggest talking point at tip-off was Stan Van Gundy’s decision to bench Reggie Jackson in favour of Ish Smith.
The decision was ultimately a mixed bag.
Smith had 9 points, 7 assists and 3 steals, however he picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter, which was less than ideal.
Jackson’s bench play didn’t set the world on fire either, as he dished out 4 assists but turned the ball over 3 times, while also shooting 30 per cent from the field.
The only other bright sparks for the Pistons were Andre Drummond‘s activity on the boards and Tobias Harris continuing his great shooting form.
Despite missing Dwyane Wade and Robin Lopez, the depleted Bulls had their way with the Pistons on the offensive end, shooting 58 per cent from the field and an insane 47 per cent from three, which is even more staggering considering they are second last in the league for three-point percentage.
Nikola Mirotic had a night out, dropping 28 points on 12 of 15 shooting.