Pistons at Bulls
THE STORY: Richard Hamilton already got over the awkwardness of playing against his former teammates when the Chicago Bulls visited the Detroit Pistons last week. Now the veteran shooting guard is hoping to get back into the lineup for the rematch. Hamilton has missed four of the last five games with a groin injury, playing only against the Pistons last week, and watched Saturday as the starting five for the Bulls struggled to a total of 32 points in a 109-94 loss at Atlanta. Reigning MVP Derrick Rose managed only eight points on 3-of-10 shooting and committed five turnovers in 28 minutes. Chicago will be looking to put that terrible performance behind it when it hosts Detroit on Monday. The Pistons are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA at an average of 84.3 points and have dropped three straight while putting up 78.7 points.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, CS Chicago
ABOUT THE PISTONS (2-6): Detroit is stuck between a rebuilding team and a team trying to win now, with veterans such as Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon surrounded by youngsters Greg Monroe, Austin Daye and Brandon Knight. The result has been three straight losses by at least 16 points - the first time that has happened to Detroit since 1980. Gordon committed nine of Detroit’s 20 turnovers in a 103-80 home loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday.
ABOUT THE BULLS (7-2): Chicago will put the Atlanta game behind it and chalk it up to an unusual blip in an otherwise strong start. The Bulls pulled the starters when the game got out of hand, allowing role players such as John Lucas III, Jimmy Butler and Brian Scalabrine to get some minutes. Rose had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 49-14 in the five games prior to Saturday’s debacle and was strong the previous night, scoring 21 points and handing out 10 assists in a 97-83 win over Orlando.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bulls have won 12 straight against the Pistons.
2. Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey (groin), forward Charlie Villanueva (ankle) and forward Daye (ankle) are all questionable for Monday.
3. Rose has averaged 23.0 points and 7.0 assists in 12 career games against Detroit.