Whatever conclusion the Detroit Pistons came to during Saturday's post-game team meeting had no resonance on the team's performance today after suffering a 113-82 road loss to the struggling Chicago Bulls.
The Pistons have lost four of their last five games, including three in a row, putting them two games below the .500 mark.
“Team meeting my a**,” head coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. “That stuff means nothing. It's what you do on the court.”
Pistons LIVE Postgame – 12.19.16 – Stan Van Gundy pic.twitter.com/O3zqo2b19K
— FOX Sports Detroit (@FOXSportsDet) December 20, 2016
Detroit had a disappointing performance against a team that was coming off three straight losses. Forward Jon Leuer made a strong case for his insertion into the starting lineup, leading the team with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor.
Small forward Tobias Harris was the only starter in double figures with 10 points and four rebounds. Aside from the aforementioned, no other Pistons reached double digits.
Detroit has suffered the most with effort plays on the defensive end, giving up an average of 113 points in their last three contests.
“On Friday night we were the No. 2 defensive team in the league,” Van Gundy said. “And now we have three games where we can't stop anybody.”
Through the first 27 games of the season, the Pistons had a defensive rating of 100.4, rated second in the NBA. In the three games since Friday, they've given up 123.7 points per 100 possessions.
“It was a disgusting performance,” Van Gundy added. “By me included.”
This feels like the straw that broke the camel's back and it appears it's officially time to press the panic button in Motown — while point guard Reggie Jackson has shot horribly during this five-game stretch, it's likely Van Gundy will make some changes in the front court in order to re-enforce his defense.
Follow Us
Subscribe