Pistons vs. Bulls preview: Well-rested Pistons in dire need of win

Following a timely and deserved four day break, the Detroit Pistons return to action Wednesday night for their second contest of the season against the Chicago Bulls. Detroit is currently on a four-game losing streak, having lost both games with Blake Griffin in the line-up, and with their last win coming two weeks ago against the lowly New York Knicks.

Detroit’s currently sitting at 4-9, and while they’re only two games back of the seventh seeded Orlando Magic, they need to start piling up some wins sooner rather than later, as they have a daunting schedule approaching come December and January. If the Pistons continue to drop the winnable games on their calendar, they will be forced to answer some serious questions regarding the long-term viability of this roster.

Game Vitals

When: November 20, 2019, 8:00 p.m. EST
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
Watch: Fox Sports Detroit, NBA League Pass

Analysis

The Pistons will be short-handed yet again, with Tony Snell joining Reggie Jackson on the sideline. He’ll nurse a hip-strain injury that he sustained in Friday night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

With Snell out, the Pistons will have a new starting line-up for the seventh time in just their fourteenth game of the season. Below is a list of those starting line-ups in no particular order:

Starting Line-up Carousel:

Jackson, Brown, Snell, Morris, Drummond (two games)

Frazier, Kennard, Snell, Morris, Drummond (three games)

Frazier, Brown, Snell, Morris, Drummond (one game)

Brown, Kennard, Snell, Morris, Drummond (five games)

Rose, Kennard, Snell, Griffin, Drummond (one game)

Brown, Kennard, Snell, Griffin, Drummond (one game)

If you’ve watched Detroit this season, and wondered “hmmm... don’t remember seeing these guys on the floor together much,” you’re not alone. These hodge-podge starting line-ups have lead to hodge-podge bench rotations. And although Detroit has coughed up some inexcusable turnovers, it’s not shocking that they currently boast the 29th-ranked turnover percentage in the league. They rarely know who they’re going to be running with at any given moment in a game and they’ve missed their three primary ball-handlers (Griffin, Jackson, Rose) for most of the season.

The Bulls will also be short-handed, as they expect to miss Otto Porter Jr., who scored 22 points and chipped in four assists when Chicago defeated Detroit back on November 1st. The Bulls currently boast the league’s worst offense, scoring just 102.5 points per 100 possessions, and have a net rating of -4.0. Detroit hasn’t fared much better so far this year, as they currently occupy the 25th ranked defense, allowing 112.2 points per 100 possessions, and have a negative net rating of -3.5.

The question will finally be answered: What happens when a stoppable force meets a movable object?

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (4-9):
Bruce Brown Jr., Luke Kennard, Svi Mykhailiuk, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond

Chicago Bulls (4-10):
Tomas Satoransky, Zach LaVine, Chandler Hutchison, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr.