76ers at Pistons
THE STORY: The All-Star break couldn't come quickly enough for
the Philadelphia 76ers, who bumbled and stumbled their way to a
five-game losing streak. The 76ers will look to put their struggles
behind them Tuesday as they open the second half with a game against the
Pistons in Detroit. The game marks the finale of a four-game road trip
for Philadelphia, which has seen the club fail to score more than 91
points on the way to losses against Minnesota, Memphis and Houston. The
Pistons return home after losing games in Cleveland and Toronto.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CS Philadelphia (76ers), FS Detroit (Pistons)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (20-14): Philadelphia probably wouldn't have been
disappointed to see Andre Iguodala spend most of the All-Star Game on
the bench. The 76ers star has been one of the busiest players in the
league heading into the second half, ranked in the top 30 at more than
35 minutes per game. Iguodala looked sluggish in the games preceding the
break, making 9 of 26 shots in back-to-back losses in Memphis and
Houston. Iguodala is averaging 11.5 points in 13 February games.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (11-24):
Detroit looked like it might finally be turning the corner, stringing
together three consecutive wins - two against the Boston Celtics. But
losses to the Cavaliers and Raptors exposed many of the same problems
that have plagued the Pistons for most of the opening 35 games. Detroit
surrendered more than 100 points in both games while shooting a combined
40.2 percent in the two contests. The Pistons were outrebounded in both
losses, something that hadn't happened in any of the previous four
games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Philadelphia already has a
pair of one-sided wins over Detroit this season, romping over the
Pistons by a combined 42 points. Both games took place in Philadelphia.
2.
Detroit plays five of its next six games at The Palace at Auburn Hills
before hitting the road for eight of their next nine contests.