The Chicago Bulls can’t beat the worst team in the NBA. From where?

Detroit Pistons are the worst team in the NBA.

That’s been a reality for most of this season, and was reinforced by a 28-game losing streak in December that set a new NBA record. Their total of 49 losses is a depth few teams reach; A low point that was equal parts confusing and embarrassing for a team that spent the better part of a decade rebuilding from the bottom up.

So what does it mean if the Bulls keep losing to them?

The Pistons won nine games this year. Two of those were against the Bulls. And Tuesday’s loss was pretty low-key because Chicago couldn’t surpass 100 points against the worst defense in the league.

“At the end of the day, Detroit, they are an NBA team, they have NBA players, so we never look at their records because we understand that in this league, on any given night, anyone can be beat,” guard Ayo Dosunmu said. aforementioned. “They are capable of competing with anyone in this league.”

While the Bulls are trying to do this defended their ninth place position Dropping games like Tuesday’s in the Eastern Conference (which looked like a guaranteed win on paper) could make the difference in whether the Bulls return to the play-in tournament this season.

Photos: Detroit Pistons 105, Chicago Bulls 95

Here are four takeaways from the defeat.

1. Bulls dried well.

The Bulls went 2-of-29 from 3-point range in Tuesday’s loss, a brutal standoff that kept the Pistons in the game.

Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc for a total of 15 shots. Nikola Vučević was the only starter to make a 3-point shot, but he went 1-for-7 from deep. Dalen Terry made the Bulls’ only other 3-pointer.

“It’s a totally unconventional game in terms of those types of shots,” coach Billy Donovan said.

The Pistons, on the contrary, went 14-for-37 from beyond the arc and defeated the Bulls 42-6 from 3-point range.

2. A lukewarm third quarter gave the Pistons ground.

Even though their shots were inadequate, the Bulls kept control of the game until the third quarter and took a narrow 5-point lead at the break. But they struggled to make shots to open the third quarter, allowing the Pistons to open the frame with a 21-10 run.

Going out slow in the second half is starting to become a pattern for the Bulls, who made a similar mistake in Thursday’s game. Defeat to Boston Celtics.

3. DeMar DeRozan stands up for a 360-degree shot.

HOW.@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/RJN43bcEEn

– Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 28, 2024

In a rarity for the Bulls on a low-scoring night, in the second quarter veteran DeMar DeRozan darted sideways and corkscrewed in the air, kissing the shot off the backboard and the basket.

The 360-degree finish was an example of the physicality that is the norm in the 34-year-old DeRozan’s style of play; He remained in the background in the last years of his career as he relied more on crafty shots. better than acrobatics in the ring.

4. Alex Caruso left the game with a knee injury

The Bulls may have to navigate another injury concern after Alex Caruso left the game in the fourth quarter with a right knee injury.

Caruso went to the locker room after his injury, but medical staff allowed him back. Despite the Bulls trailing by eight points with just over two minutes left, Donovan re-entered the game for less than four minutes before taking him out of the game for good.

“I didn’t like the way he moved,” Donovan said after the game.