The Detroit Pistons will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since January when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.
The contest is the finale of a four-game road swing for the Pistons. They routed the Utah Jazz to start the trip before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
Detroit had a chance to beat the Warriors on Saturday night before falling 115-110. The Pistons led by a point after Cade Cunningham’s basket with 49.9 seconds left before Golden State closed the game with a decisive 8-2 spurt.
“I thought our guys did a great job competing and gave ourselves an opportunity to win down the stretch,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said afterward.
Cunningham scored 31 points to pace the Pistons. He has topped 30 in consecutive games and four of the past eight.
Tobias Harris (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Jalen Duren (13 points, 13 rebounds) each had double-doubles against the Warriors.
Harris missed the previous two games due to personal reasons, and Bickerstaff was glad to have him back.
“He’s a leader. He’s been a steady influence on this team the entire year,” Bickerstaff said. “We depend on him, he’s reliable, he’s there to support the group and gives everybody a sense of confidence.”
Duren has recorded three double-doubles in four games this month.
After the contest in Portland, the Pistons return home for two games against the Washington Wizards and one versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The season is on the line for the Trail Blazers over the next two-plus weeks as Sunday’s contest is the beginning of a stretch in which Portland is home for eight of nine games.
After the matchup with the Pistons, the Trail Blazers visit the Warriors on Monday before opening a crucial seven-game homestand.
“We get to go home — at least for a day,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said after Friday’s 107-89 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We’re all excited about that.”
Portland went 4-3 on a seven-game trip and the losses were to the three best teams by record in the NBA: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thunder and Boston Celtics.
“I thought it was a good trip for us,” Billups said. “With the exception (of Oklahoma City), we had a chance to win every game. This was the only game where I feel we didn’t have any control in the game.”
Portland enters the stretch in 12th place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers are four games behind the Dallas Mavericks, who own the final play-in berth. The Phoenix Suns are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Trail Blazers.
This home-heavy span would be an ideal time for Portland to make a run.
But it won’t be easy with the Celtics and Cavaliers among the teams coming in for a visit. The Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks — all sitting in strong playoff positions — are also among the opponents on the slate.
But first, Portland has to worry about the Pistons. Detroit won the season’s first meeting, 118-115 at home on Jan. 6. Anfernee Simons scored 36 points for the Trail Blazers and Cunningham had 32 for the Pistons.
Simons will look to bounce back after having 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting against Oklahoma City. He averaged 30.3 points over the previous three games.
Scoot Henderson led Portland with 22 points off the bench against the Thunder.
Deni Avdija (quad) is questionable for the Trail Blazers after missing Friday’s game.
–Field Level Media
