Preview: Pistons at Bulls

[December 19, 2016]  The Chicago Bulls are enduring a three-game losing streak in a stretch with losses in six of eight and found a new low in a 95-69 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. The Bulls, who were booed by their own fans on the way off the court after Friday's loss, with try to bounce back when they host the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Chicago shot 30.4 percent from the floor and scored a season low while getting trounced by the Bucks for a second straight after losing 108-97 in Milwaukee on Thursday. "Don't nobody come out to watch us get beat the way we got beat," Bulls star guard Jimmy Butler told reporters. "The way that we've been playing, it's unacceptable, especially for this city." The Pistons are enduing a slide of their own with back-to-back setbacks and losses in five of the last eight after dropping below .500 with a 105-90 home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. "In our offense, the ball is not moving, it’s sticking, guys are letting the offensive frustration get to them at the defensive end," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. "We’re not in a good place right now, you go through it at times during the season and we’re not very good right now."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, CSN Chicago

ABOUT THE PISTONS (14-15): Detroit leads the Eastern Conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 96.9 points, but surrendered 113.5 in the last two losses. "We are not playing defense," point guard Reggie Jackson told reporters. "That is what it comes down to. We have been a pretty good defensive team throughout the season. We just haven’t been good as of late. We got to figure it out and find a way to string together stops and compete for 48 minutes; understand that there are ups and downs in games and find a way to get wins." Jackson was one of the bright spots on Saturday with 19 points and 10 assists in his first double-double since returning to the lineup on Dec. 4.

ABOUT THE BULLS (13-13): Chicago was outscored 34-15 in the first quarter on Friday and never made a push to get back into the game as Dwyane Wade (12 points on 5-of-14 shooting) was the only starter to score in double figures. Butler's seven points marked the first time this season he failed to score in double figures. "We know what we're capable of, we know what to do," Butler told reporters. "Go out there and execute, do what we're supposed to be doing. We don't need to sit in a circle and hold each other's hands and talk about all of that. We don't talk that much out there on the floor. That's where the problem begins. We got to help each other, we got to be vocal."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pistons SF Tobias Harris is 2-of-15 from 3-point range in the last four games.

2. Chicago PF Nikola Mirotic fell out of the rotation and did not play in the last two games.

3. Detroit earned a 102-91 home win over Chicago on Dec. 6 despite Butler's 32 points.

PREDICTION: Pistons 102, Bulls 96

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