CHICAGO — For the second game in a row, a hot start turned into a disappointing loss for the Detroit Pistons.
They fell to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, 119-108, the Pistons' eighth straight defeat. Detroit led by 10 points early in the second quarter. Chicago took control in the second quarter, using a 20-2 run to flip a 36-26 deficit to a 46-38 lead with 3:38 remaining before halftime.
The Pistons went cold after an encouraging start, as they lead Bulls by nine at the end of the first and held them to 8-for-24 shooting.
A 3-pointer by Kevin Knox, who made his debut after signing with the Pistons last week for the second time in two years, cut Chicago's lead to 85-84 early in the fourth. But they were hurt by turnovers and poor defense, giving the ball up five times in the fourth.
A late 3-pointer by Nikola Vucevic with just under two minutes to play extended Chicago's lead to 10 and iced the game.
Knox had a strong (second) debut for Detroit, finishing with 18 points and hitting all four of his 3-point attempts. Isaiah Stewart had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Ausar Thompson fell just short of one with nine points and 16 rebounds. It was a tough night for Cade Cunningham, who missed his first five shots and finished with 10 points and five assists on 4-for-15 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 29 points, and Vucevic added 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Detroit's poor health situation improved, as Jaden Ivey and Alec Burks returned from their respective injuries. Burks finished with 15 points, and Ivey tallied six in just 11 minutes of action. The Pistons were still without Jalen Duren, Bojan Bogdanovic, Monte Morris, Isaiah Livers and Joe Harris.
Ivey, Burks return
The Pistons got some good news before the game when Ivey and Burks, initially listed as “questionable” on the injury report, were upgraded to “available.” They had missed a combined 10 games — Burks missed six with a left forearm contusion, and Ivey missed four while battling a viral infection.
It left Detroit severely shorthanded last week, as they were without at least five players in all four of their games.
“It helps settle the rotation down a bit,” Monty Williams said of getting the two back. “You don’t have to stress guys out with long stretches of minutes. And then having shooting out there and (Burks’) IQ and calm demeanor certainly helps. We’re hoping to plug those guys in right away today.”
Burks picked up where he left off, after averaging 15 points and 53.8% shooting from 3 through his first four games. He scored eight points in four and a half minutes in the first quarter, helping the Pistons take a nine-point lead at the end of the period. Burks added a pull-up jumper early in the second to help push Detroit’s lead to 34-24 around the 11-minute mark.
Ausar continues to dominate the boards
Since his first preseason game, the 6-foot-7 wing has been among Detroit’s best rebounders. He entered Sunday averaging 11.4 points and 10 rebounds, and has yet to grab fewer than seven rebounds in a game.
Thompson doesn’t just lead all rookies in rebounding — he’s tied for 15th across the entire league. But even accounting for his usual high standard, Thompson had a standout night on the boards. He grabbed nine in the opening quarter (three offensive) and grabbed his 10th with just over nine minutes remaining before halftime.
Williams had high praise for the rookie’s rebounding efforts before the game, comparing him to a former four-time All-Star.
“He reminds me of Shawn Marion in that way,” he said. Shawn was a guy that played a wing position at times who could get 10 to 15 rebounds. He just finds a way to go in there and rebound outside his area.
“I really like players who can rebound. Those guys can push the ball down the floor, you’re playing a lot faster. It’s one less pass. You move the ball down the floor, especially with a guy like Ausar.”
Knox makes his debut (again)
It’s been more than a year since Knox made his initial debut as a Detroit Piston last season. He didn’t waste time reminding the team what he offers on Sunday, and was key in the attempted comeback. He checked in for Stewart toward the end of the first quarter and hit a 3 with just over a minute to go, his first bucket with the team since he was traded in February.
Knox made his next two shots, a layup and another 3-pointer, late in the second as the Pistons tried to snap a Bulls run. He shot 37.1% from 3 in Detroit last season. His third 3-pointer early in the fourth cut Chicago's lead to one, 85-84. His fourth, midway through the quarter, brought the Pistons within five.
Knox opened the game shooting 7-for-7 from the floor before missing his first shot with 5:11 remaining in the final period. He won't shoot as well as he did on Sunday most nights, but his performance was needed for a Pistons team that's lacked depth and spacing at power forward this season.
Next up: Hawks
Matchup: Pistons (2-9) vs. Atlanta (5-4), NBA In-Season Tournament Group A play.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).