Bulls at Pistons
THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls attempt to defeat the Detroit Pistons for the 12th consecutive time when the two teams meet at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday. Chicago swept the series in each of the past two seasons and hasn’t lost to the Pistons since early in the 2008-09 campaign. The Bulls enter the contest with a four-game winning streak after rallying from a 19-point deficit to edge the Atlanta Hawks 76-74 on Tuesday. Luol Deng’s layup with 3.7 seconds left provided the winning points to help the Bulls attain their best start since opening the 1996-97 season with 12 consecutive victories. Detroit has won two straight games and played a solid defensive game while beating Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic 89-78 on Monday. The Pistons held Orlando to 19 or fewer points in three different quarters and had a 39-28 rebounding edge. Howard has two 24-rebound games already this season but grabbed just seven against the Pistons.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet (Chicago), Fox Sports Detroit (Detroit)
ABOUT THE BULLS (5-1): Derrick Rose operated at will against the Pistons last season when he averaged 29.5 points and 7.3 assists. Rose had at least 23 points in all four games with a high output of 39. He posed severe matchup problems for the Pistons last season when Rodney Stuckey was the primary player defending him and Rose figures to see a combination of Stuckey and first-round pick Brandin Knight on Wednesday. Rose had 30 points against the Hawks and is averaging 21.5 points.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (2-3): Guard Ben Gordon had a season-best 26 points against Orlando and craves a big showing against his former club. Gordon is averaged just 10.0 points in eight career games against Chicago but is prospering in new coach Lawrence Frank’s system. “A lot of guys are looking for me to score so I’m just trying to mix it up,” Gordon said. “I’m taking shots when I’m open and trying to create players for other people to make the game a little bit easier.” Gordon is averaging 18 points.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bulls have allowed an average of 69 points in their last two games. Chicago beat Memphis 104-64 on Sunday.
2. Chicago guard Richard Hamilton (groin) hopes to return to play against his former club, but guard C.J. Watson (elbow) will likely miss his second consecutive outing.
3. Detroit forward Jonas Jerebko has grabbed 23 rebounds in the last two games and is averaging 7.8 boards per game.