The Detroit Pistons stayed ice cold on the road in Chicago on Monday night at the United Center, saving their coldest for last, losing 92-68 to the Chicago Bulls.
The Pistons were outscored 24-9 in the fourth quarter, turning a mildly competitive game into an embarrassing one.
The dynamic duo of Derrick Rose (22 points and 8 assists) and Carlos Boozer (23 points and 8 rebounds) propelled Chicago to the win
Rookie Brandon Knight started at point guard in place of Rodney Stuckey (groin) and scored 13 points on 6-10 shooting along with 5 rebounds and one assist.
With the loss, Detroit falls to 0-4 on the road, and they have lost all four of those games by at least 11 points.
The Pistons return home to host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in a game scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. eastern.
Carlos Boozer has 12 points and 5 rebounds and is helping the Chicago Bulls to a 43-34 lead over the Detroit Pistons at halftime at the United Center.
The Bulls jumped out to a 12-4 lead early on and have not trailed at all, but the Pistons have kept within striking distance despite their offensive troubles. Greg Monroe is pacing the Pistons with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 17 minutes.
Rodney Stuckey (groin) remains out for the Pistons, and Brandin Knight started in his place at point guard, but the rookie has two points and zero assists in 15 minutes.
The teams entered the game on opposite ends of the Central Division, as the Pistons (2-6) share the division cellar with the Milwaukee Bucks and are hoping to break a three-game losing streak while the Bulls (7-2) trail only the Miami Heat (8-1) in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are 2-0 at home and the Pistons are 0-3 on the road.
The Pistons may have earned a solid home in over Orlando last week, but their slow start at 2-6 and their struggles on the road have seen them continue to fall in the NBA standings. SB Nation's NBA expert Tom Ziller has not been impressed with them so far, and as a result, he has Detroit at No. 28 in this week's NBA Power Rankings, only two spots above dead last:
For the rest of the season, Pistons fans should wake up, look at themselves in the mirror and say: "At least we have Greg Monroe."
At least Detroit's two victories this season have been impressive. They defeated No. 7 Indiana at home and No. 12 Orlando, so they are capable of competing with the better teams in the league. This week's schedule begins tonight with a difficult trip to Chicago to face the Bulls.
