The Pistons continue to march toward the end of their woeful season, playing game No. 78 tonight when they host the New Jersey Nets. Both teams will have just four contests left after tonight in what have been disappointing campaigns to say the least for both squads.
Detroit is on a four-game slide, the most recent setback coming last night in Washington. John Wall lit the Pistons up in the fourth quarter, knocking down 16 of his 26 points in the final quarter as the Pistons blew a late lead. Greg Monroe had 22 points and 14 rebounds but clanked two free throws that would have tied it late.
It's unclear if Rodney Stuckey will play tonight. He apparently got on coach John Kuester's bad side and has sat the last two games.
The Nets had lost six in a row before beating Minnesota last night. The Nets have lost eight in a row at the Palace.
Pretty much the only thing these once great Eastern Conference foes are fighting for now is a lottery pick. The Nets and Pistons hooked up many times in the playoffs in the middle part of the decade, but they've fallen quite a bit since then.