FINAL FROM DETROIT: Pistons 131, Bulls 108. (Bulls : 19-49, 11-23 on the road)
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Selden: 18pts. Pistons: Griffin: 28.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Felicio: 7. Pistons: Drummond: 15.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Harrison: 6. Pistons: Jackson and Maker each with 6.
CCI RECAP: The Pistons swept the four game season series 4-0 with a dominant second half out scoring the Bulls, 70-53. The Bulls got off to a nice start but the physicality of the Pistons and Blake Griffin’s third quarter outburst of 17 points was just too much. The Pistons three point shooting proved to be the difference as Detroit drained 19-treys compared to the Bulls nine. Langston Galloway continued his torrid outside shooting as he is a perfect 12-12 from three point range covering the last three games. He went 6-6 against the Bulls and 9-9 over the weekend against Chicago. Reggie Jackson added five-three pointers. The Pistons have won five straight.
Zach LaVine, celebrating his 24th birthday, sat out with a knee strain and the Bulls sorely missed his presence. Wayne Selden Jr. was solid off the bench with 18 points. Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr each pumped in 17 points. No excuses but with daylight saving time and the switch from Central to the East it was like tipping off at 10AM. It was weird to say the least.
CCI IN THE LOCKER ROOM: “I thought we started to slip away the last three minutes of the second quarter. Started the second half with a couple of opportunities and the game flipped from there.” Coach Boylen.
Up next: Home with Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Phoenix 115, Golden State 111. I had to make sure the final score was legit. Phoenix 115 - Golden State 111. The game was on the Warriors home court. Phoenix 115 - Golden State 111. Devin Booker with 37points, 13 straight in the fourth quarter.
Toronto 125, Miami 104. A franchise record 21 made threes by the Raps. Toronto outscored the Heat 63-24 beyond the arc.
San Antonio 121, Milwaukee 114. The Spurs have won five straight and eight in a row at home.
Atlanta 128, New Orleans 116. Kevin Huerter can flat out ball. The rookie out of Maryland scored 17 second quarter points and finished with 28 as the Hawks snapped a three game slide.
Philadelphia 106, Indiana 89. Joel Embiid returned to the floor and had a monster game of 33 points and 12 rebounds. It was Embiid’s first game in nearly a month.
Minnesota 103, New York 92. Six straight losses for the 13-54 Knicks. Taj Gibson with a 25-8-1 game. The T-Wolves played without Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Derrick Rose played eight minutes as Head Coach Ryan Saunders rested him.
Memphis 105, Orlando 97. The Grizzlies are on a mini run having won three straight. Mike Conley and Avery Bradley combined for 47 points. The Magic just can’t get it together. They’ve lost three of four. Can they make the playoffs?
Houston 94, Dallas 93. Another game and another loss for the Mavs (10 of 11) but they have some nice pieces. Luka Doncic, a lock for Rookie of the Year had 19 points and 15 rebounds. Jalen Brunson scored 18 points. The Rockets are on fire having won eight straight.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls. Always a pleasure!