Pistons at 76ers
Not long after it was surging up the Eastern Conference standings, Detroit is in the midst of another losing streak and seeking a break from a busy stretch. The Pistons look to snap their three-game slide as they play for the fourth time in five nights Wednesday at Philadelphia. In the hours after leading scorer Brandon Jennings underwent season-ending surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles, Detroit dropped a 103-95 decision at home against Cleveland on Tuesday.
D.J. Augustin had 19 points and nine assists in his second straight start in place of Jennings while Greg Monroe added 17 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, which dropped the Pistons to 7-16 at home. They will finally get two days in a row off after visiting the 76ers, who have lost six in a row. The league's lowest-scoring squad has averaged a paltry 83.1 points during the slide, which began with a 107-89 loss at Detroit on Jan. 17.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE PISTONS (17-29): Detroit has taken two quality opponents to the finish line in the two games since Jennings has been on the sidelines, outplaying both in certain areas. However, the Pistons have been abysmal in the turnover battle, forcing only 17 while giving it up a total of 35 times against Toronto and Cleveland. Detroit actually entered Tuesday's play ranked fourth in the East in turnover differential, and it caused Philadelphia to turn it over 22 times in the meeting earlier this month.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (8-37): Philadelphia hopes to get point guard Michael Carter-Williams back soon after the second-year standout missed Monday's 99-74 loss to New Orleans due to an upper respiratory ailment. With fellow guard Tony Wroten recently lost due to a partially torn ACL, the 76ers were forced to give recent D-League call-up Larry Drew II his first career start, which led to four points on 2-of-9 shooting in 32 lackluster minutes. Carter-Williams had 20 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a win at Detroit on Dec. 6 and led his team with 15 points in the rematch earlier this month.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Augustin is averaging 18.8 points in five games as a starter.
2. 76ers SF Jerami Grant is 12-for-24 from 3-point distance over a 10-game stretch.
3. The Pistons are 28th in the NBA in shooting (42.8 percent) while Philadelphia is 30th (40.7).