Pistons at Trail Blazers
The Detroit Pistons look to snap a seven-game losing streak on Saturday when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers, who are coming off an impressive win over the New York Knicks. The Pistons have lost 10 of their last 11, and they fell to 4-23 against Western Conference opponents with a 105-97 loss at Golden State on Wednesday. Detroit is seeking a season sweep of Portland after winning by seven on Nov. 26.
The Trail Blazers are trying to catch the eighth-place Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference, and they are also competing with Utah and Dallas. Point guard Damian Lillard continued his Rookie of the Year campaign bid in a 105-90 win over the Knicks on Thursday, when he made four 3-pointers and had 26 points and 10 assists. Lillard is averaging 23 points in 11 games since the All-Star break.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit, Comcast SportsNet Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (23-44): Detroit is struggling without promising rookie center Andre Drummond, who has missed the last 17 games with a stress fracture in his lower back. The Pistons are also dealing with guard Brandon Knight’s sprained left ankle, which forced him to miss Wednesday’s game. Knight, who scored a team-high 26 points against the Trail Blazers in the first meeting, is not expected to return for several games. Rodney Stuckey started in place of Knight against the Warriors and had 22 points.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (30-34): Lillard has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games, the longest streak by a Portland rookie since Calvin Natt reached nine games in 1980. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who played through migraines against the Knicks and had 22 points and 10 rebounds, scored a game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds against the Pistons in the first meeting. Forward Nicolas Batum has struggled in recent weeks while dealing with a sore wrist, but he had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting against New York.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Detroit has lost its last five consecutive road games to the Trail Blazers.
2. Portland has matched or made more 3-point shots than its opponents in 11 consecutive games.
3. C Greg Monroe, who leads the Pistons in scoring (15.9) and rebounding (9.5), missed 12 of 16 shots and finished with 13 points on Wednesday against Golden State.