Preview: Detroit At Brooklyn
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 29, 2015
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Detroit has several home games coming up, but it still needs to rediscover the winning formula for the road. The Pistons, who won their first three road games, are struggling through a 1-6 stretch away from home as they enter a Sunday night contest at Brooklyn.
The struggles on the road continued with Detroit’s 103-87 loss at Oklahoma City on Friday, as the Pistons shot 34.4 percent and were outrebounded 58-38. “I think we found some shots; we just couldn’t get them to go in,” guard Reggie Jackson told reporters. “I think that’s been the story for us all season. We’ve got to find a better flow for the offense.” Detroit, which plays eight of its next 10 games at home after leaving Brooklyn, is 28th in the league in shooting (41.3 percent). The Nets started fast but were unable to survive in Cleveland on Saturday, falling 90-88 on a last-second shot by LeBron James.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (8-8): Center Andre Drummond leads the league in rebounding (17.1) and double-doubles (14), but he is not immune to criticism from head coach Stan Van Gundy. “I didn’t think he brought much energy to the Milwaukee game, and I didn’t think he brought much energy tonight,” Van Gundy told the media after the loss in Oklahoma City. “Why that is, I don’t know. But we need a lot more from him than we got tonight.” Drummond had 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting and seven rebounds — his first single-digit effort in that category this season — against the Thunder.
ABOUT THE NETS (3-13): The game-winner by James nullified an otherwise solid defensive effort by Brooklyn, which held the Cavaliers to a 40.2 percent mark from the floor, a low for a Nets opponent this season. They also forced 20 turnovers — tied for the most by a Brooklyn foe — as swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson notched five steals for the second time in his last three games. The rookie is averaging 9.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals over a four-game stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets C Brook Lopez is averaging 23.7 points and nine rebounds in his last three games.
2. Jackson has just three turnovers in 79 minutes over the past three road contests.
3. Detroit entered Saturday 28th in the league in 3-point percentage (31.1) while Brooklyn was last (29.9).
PREDICTION: Pistons 92, Nets 90