The outcome of the Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons game remains the same regardless of where they play.
13 times in a row, Detroit has lost to its Central Division rival, most recently in Paris. When the Pistons take on Chicago on Wednesday, they will try to end that long run.
As recently as the 2018–19 season, Detroit prevailed in the series. That season, the Pistons won seven straight games against the Bulls, winning the four-game series.
The previous three seasons, Chicago won all three series. Additionally, the Bulls have won the first two games this season: On December 30, scores were 132-118 in Chicago and 126-108 in Paris. The teams will play one more time after the game on Wednesday, in the regular-season finale against Chicago on April 9.
The Pistons’ challenge this season is to win against any team. With a 15-47 record, they are last in the Eastern Conference and have lost five straight.
In Monday’s 117-106 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit was without four starters. Bojan Bogdanovic, the team’s leading scorer, and big men Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart both missed time with various injuries. Jaden Ivey, a point guard, missed the game for personal reasons, and forward Isaiah Livers, a forward, missed the second half with a left ankle sprain.
On Wednesday, Bogdanovic and Ivey are expected to play again. Livers was listed as doubtful, and Duran and Stewart will once more sit out.
The Hornets outscored the Pistons 41-21 in the first quarter, shooting 51.8 percent from the field, and took control from the start.
On three-point tries, Detroit shot 11.5% (on three of 26 attempts).
At the trade deadline, Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman was acquired by Detroit. He scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the improvised starting lineup. Additionally, reserve Hamidou Diallo scored 23 points.
In his second game since fracturing his hand, Marvin Bagley III had 21 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a solid bench performance. In his first game back, he scored 21 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
Chicago will conclude a set of back-to-back performances. On Tuesday, the Bulls fell to Toronto 104-98, committing 20 turnovers that resulted in 21 Raptors points. Chicago had six offensive rebounds, while Toronto had 19 as well.
The Bulls were led by Nikola Vucevic, who scored 23 points. Zach LaVine scored 17 points, seven fewer than his season average, and DeMar DeRozan scored just 13 points, 12 fewer than his average.
Chicago didn’t get as many chances to score because it was outrebounded 47-35.
