Bulls at Pistons
The Chicago Bulls will have point guard Rajon Rondo back in the lineup when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. Rondo was suspended one game for reportedly having a heated verbal exchange with an assistant coach, and the shorthanded Bulls were unable to finish a late rally in falling 112-110 to Portland at home Monday night.
Dwyane Wade scored 34 points - one shy of his season high - in the setback as Chicago has lost consecutive games for the first time since opening November 0-3. The Pistons have welcomed back a point guard of their own in Reggie Jackson, who made his season debut in Sunday's 98-92 loss to the Orlando Magic. Jackson finished with 18 points and four assists in 23 minutes and will be taking aim at a Bulls team he got to for 23.5 points per game last season, his highest scoring average against an Eastern Conference opponent. Jimmy Butler, who scored 26 points in Monday's loss for Chicago, averaged 27.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in those four meetings with Detroit in 2015-16.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE BULLS (11-9): Coach Fred Hoiberg said that the plan is for Wade to play in Detroit despite the team's recent practice of resting their veteran star in the second half of back-to-backs. Wade has sat out the last two back-to-back finales after averaging 8.5 points on 23.1 percent shooting in two such games earlier this season. Jerian Grant took Rondo's spot in the starting lineup Monday and struggled to produce five points while going 1-of-7 from the field.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (11-11): Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored just nine points in the loss to Orlando but had a plus-13 rating as his overall game continues to improve. "We've had that in a lot of games, and on the season, KCP's plus-minus is very good," Van Gundy told the Detroit Free Press. "We're good with him on the floor and we've struggled with him off the floor. That's just a fact." The fourth-year pro boasts career highs in scoring (15 points per game), assists (2.9), 3-point shooting (38.7 percent) and foul shooting (82.5) while managing to slightly reduce his turnovers from a season ago.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pistons PF Marcus Morris is 11-for-23 from 3-point distance in his last four games after going 2-for-12 in the previous four contests.
2. Butler has scored exactly 26 points in four of his last five games and has at least 20 in a career-best 14 consecutive contests.
3. After leaving Detroit, Chicago plays six of its next seven at home.