The Detroit Pistons are the worst team in the NBA.
That’s been a fact for most of this season, cemented by their 28-game losing streak that set a new NBA record in December. Their 49 total losses are a depth few teams reach, a low point that has been equal parts baffling and embarrassing for a franchise that has spent the better part of a decade attempting to rebuild from the bottom up.
So what does it mean that the Bulls keep losing to them?
The Pistons have won nine games this year. Two of those were against the Bulls. And Tuesday’s loss was a particular low as Chicago failed to crack 100 points against the worst defense in the league.
“At the end of the day, Detroit, they’re an NBA team, they have NBA players, so we never look at their records because we understand that in this league, any given night, anybody can be beat,” guard Ayo Dosunmu said. “They’re more than capable of competing with anybody in this league.”
As the Bulls attempt to defend their ninth-place standing in the Eastern Conference, dropping games like Tuesday — which on paper appeared to be a guaranteed win — could make the difference in whether the Bulls return to the play-in tournament or not this season.
Here are four takeaways from the loss.
1. The Bulls dried up from deep.
The Bulls went 2-for-29 from 3-point range in Tuesday’s loss, a brutal cold snap that kept the Pistons in the game.
Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso each went 0-for-5 from behind the arc to combine for 15 misses. Nikola Vučević was the only starter to make a 3-pointer, but he went 1-for-7 from deep. Dalen Terry made the only other Bulls 3-pointer.
“It’s a total outlier game in terms of that kind of shooting,” coach Billy Donovan said.
The Pistons, in contrast, went 14-for-37 from behind the arc to outscore the Bulls 42-6 from 3-point range.
2. A tepid third quarter gave the Pistons footing.
Even with their shots falling short, the Bulls were in control of the game until the third quarter, managing a narrow 5-point lead heading into halftime. But they struggled to shoot to open the third quarter, allowing the Pistons to open the frame on a 21-10 run.
Coming out slow in the second half is starting to become a pattern for the Bulls, who made a similar mistake in Thursday’s loss to the Boston Celtics.
3. DeMar DeRozan gets up for a 360 shot.
HOW.@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/RJN43bcEEn
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 28, 2024
A rare highlight for the Bulls in a low-scoring night came in the second quarter when veteran DeMar DeRozan launched sideways and corkscrewed through the air before kissing the shot off the backboard and through the rim.
The 360-degree finish was a look at a type of physicality that used to be the norm in the 34-year-old DeRozan’s style of play, taking a back seat in the latter years of his career as he relies more heavily on cagy shooting than acrobatics at the rim.
4. Alex Caruso exits with a hamstring injury
The Bulls might have to track another injury concern after Alex Caruso exited in the fourth quarter with a right hamstring injury.
Caruso went to the locker room after being injured but was cleared by the medical staff to return. He re-entered the game for less than four minutes before Donovan pulled him out for good even though the Bulls were trailing by eight points with just over two minutes remaining.
“I didn’t like the way he was moving,” Donovan said after the game.