Currently: - Game info: 8:00 pm EST Tue Dec 23, 2003
- TV: FSD, FSN
The Detroit Pistons look to snap their three-game losing streak on the road, while the Milwaukee Bucks try for their fourth straight home win when the Central Division rivals meet for the second time this season.
Detroit has been struggling of late, but it beat the Utah Jazz 96-75 at home on Sunday. The win was just the Pistons’ second in their last seven games.
The Pistons were averaging less than 80 points in six games prior to Sunday, but they shot 54.5 percent against the Jazz to mark just the second time this season they’ve made more than half their shots.
Chauncey Billups and backup guard Chucky Atkins each scored 19 points, and Richard Hamilton added 12 for Detroit, which had its first 90-point game since Nov. 28.
“That’s what Pistons basketball is supposed to be,” Billups said. “We’ve played like this in spurts, but this is the first time in a while that we’ve been able to do it for 48 minutes. We knew the defense was there, we just needed to get the offense back.”
Detroit will be looking to improve offensively on the road, where it has averaged 80.3 points during its three-game skid.
The Pistons, however, have lost two straight and 15 of their last 21 games in Milwaukee, where the Bucks beat the New Jersey Nets 92-87 on Saturday for their third straight victory at the Bradley Center.
Tim Thomas scored 16 of his 21 points in the first quarter and Milwaukee scored eight of the final 11 points of the game to move within one win of the .500 mark.
After leading by 12 with 5:17 left, Milwaukee trailed 84-83 with 2:55 remaining. But the Bucks used a 7-0 run to put away the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Nets.
“New Jersey made its run, we made a run. It was just a game of runs,” said Bucks guard Damon Jones, who made five of his six 3-point shots. “Fortunately for us, we were able to make plays down the stretch.”
Milwaukee forward Toni Kukoc made his first appearance after missing nine games with back spasms, and had four points and five assists in 19 minutes.
Detroit Bad Boys
Brew Hoop
