Things are going from bad to worse for head coach Stan Van Gundy and the rest of the Detroit Pistons after they crashed to their 13th straight defeat Tuesday to the Portland Trail Blazers. They will look to avoid tying the longest losing streak (same season) in franchise history when they face the Phoenix Suns, who themselves are struggling at the moment having lost all of their last three games.
Read on below for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards here.
[sc:NBA240banner ]That’s the message of Detroit head coach Stan Van Gundy after the Pistons stumbled to their 13th consecutive defeat Tuesday night following their 108-96 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s now the fourth-longest losing streak in franchise history.
The root of the Pistons’ problems this season revolves around their poor field goal shooting. They’re shooting at an abysmal 40.4 percent clip from the field this season, the worst mark in the NBA. It isn’t a complete surprise then that they are the second-worst team in scoring this season with the Pistons averaging just 92.8 points per game this campaign.
Their shooting struggles were evident in their last game against the Blazers, especially in the third quarter, where they shot just 4 of 22 from the field. That could have been a blessing in disguise for Van Gundy, though, as he was forced to experiment with new combinations, one of which paid immediate dividends for the Pistons.
Van Gundy inserted rookie point guard Spencer Dinwiddie in for the ineffective Cartier Martin to give Detroit an extra ball-handler in the fourth quarter. Playing alongside D.J. Augustin, Caron Butler, Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko, the Pistons which seemed to be headed for another blowout loss, unleashed a 13-0 run to keep the game close.
“It’s Spencer, but it’s also … we have to look at having two guards on the floor, having more than one guy who can create off the dribble, I think, really helps,” van Gundy remarked. Fortunately for him, help is on the way on that front as Jodie Meeks is set to make his grand debut for the Pistons this coming Friday against the Phoenix Suns.
Meeks, who signed a $19 million deal with the Pistons last summer, has missed Detroit’s first 22 games because of a lower back injury. His return will provide a timely boost to the Pistons’ offense which has struggled mightily this season. Meeks averaged 15.7 points and 1.4 steals while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
He will look to get his game going quickly against a Phoenix side that is fifth-worst in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 103.9 points per game this season.
The Pistons are 5-0 ATS in their last five meetings with the Suns.
Phoenix’s two-day break couldn’t have come at a much opportune time after the Suns suffered their third straight defeat Tuesday night with a 103-97 loss to the Miami Heat. It was another late-game collapse for the Suns who led 91-90 with 3:17 remaining before the Heat pulled away with a back-breaking 13-6 run.
Fatigue clearly played a factor in the Suns’ late-game meltdown as they were coming off a grueling 121-120 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers the previous night. Add to that the fact that this was the Suns’ fourth game in five nights.
One player who was clearly affected by the Suns’ quick turnaround was point guard Eric Bledsoe. After recording his first ever triple-double Monday against the Clippers, the 25-year-old struggled mightily the following night scoring just four points on 2 of 11 shooting in addition to his eight assists and seven turnovers.
The good news for coach Jeff Hornacek is that his offense will have some additional firepower this coming Friday. Isaiah Thomas will make his much-awaited return to the Suns lineup after missing eight games because of a right ankle contusion.
Thomas, who was averaging 15.5 points per game before his injury, will provide another scoring threat for the Suns which is a welcome development for Bledsoe who will now have more space to operate with the defense not focused solely on him.
What the Suns missed most about Thomas, though, was his aggressiveness in attacking the basket. That meant putting the opposing defense under pressure and resulting into more free throw attempts for the Suns. In fact, Thomas leads the team this season in free throws made (4.7) and free throws attempted (5.1).
His return will help the Suns address their recent free throw woes. In their game against the Heat, they only shot a measly nine free throw attempts. For the season, the Suns are shooting an average of 21.0 free throw attempts, sixth-worst in the league.
The Suns are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games at home this season.
