The Detroit Pistons will take on their old rivals the Chicago Bulls tonight in Little Caesar’s Arena, hoping to break their five game losing streak.
I say “old rivals” because it’s been awhile since the two teams were actually competitive, as they have rarely been good in the same season since the days of Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan.
In fact, the Pistons have lost 13 straight to the Bulls and haven’t beaten them since the 2018-19 season in which Detroit won all four matchups.
Detroit Pistons vs. Chicago Bulls: Two disappointments
Both the Pistons and Bulls have been disappointing this season, as Detroit was hoping to be near the play-in tournament, and Chicago fancied themselves a playoff contender coming into the season.
But both teams were hurt by injuries to their point guards, with Detroit losing Cade Cunningham for the season and Chicago still waiting for the return of Lonzo Ball, who has also been ruled out for the season.
The Pistons have the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the Bulls are just 28-34, good for the 11th spot, but still on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. The two teams aren’t far apart in the standings, but are in very different positions when it comes to rosters, future cap space and picks.
Coming into the season, most people would have looked at the two teams and said that the Bulls were in a better spot as a franchise, but now? I am not so sure.
So which of these two teams that used to dominate the Central Division is actually in a better position to get back to the top?