Detroit @ Brooklyn preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 30, 2017 ) Brooklyn 89, Detroit 90

Winning on the road has confounded the Detroit Pistons of late, and the away slide hit five straight with a 112-109 loss at New Orleans on Monday. The Pistons will try to end that drought when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday in the second stop of a three-game trip.

Detroit allowed the Pelicans to shoot 56.1 percent from the floor on Monday and allowed an average of 109.8 points in its last five road games. "Five straight. We've lost five straight on the road and all of 'em have been horrendous defensive efforts," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters after Monday's setback. "Every one of 'em. Dallas, Orlando, Miami, Philly and tonight. Pathetic defensive efforts." The Nets are putting together some solid defensive efforts on their homestand and held each of the first three opponents under 100 points before battling the Toronto Raptors into overtime and falling just short, 114-113 on Monday. Brooklyn has played a franchise-record five straight games decided by three or fewer points and won two, with the losses coming against Eastern Conference powers Boston (twice) and Toronto.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, YES (Brooklyn)

ABOUT THE PISTONS (21-18): Detroit surrendered 37 first-quarter points to the Pelicans on Monday, and slow starts defensively on the road are becoming a habit. "It's definitely our focus," small forward Tobias Harris told reporters. "Our focus and our mindset. When we're on the road, we can't play backed off. We've got to bring the heat to whoever we're playing, so it's going to be our mindset and it's going to be what we need to bring to the next game -- that focus that we need to get stops and really impose our will from the start." Center Andre Drummond (ribs) returned to the lineup on Monday after missing two of the previous three games and collected 16 points and 14 rebounds.

ABOUT THE NETS (15-25): Brooklyn is battling through a series of injuries but continues to get strong performances from guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who brought his streak to three straight games scoring 20 or more points by pouring in a career-high 31 against the Raptors. "I think it's going to take a lot of maturity," Dinwiddie told Newsday. "These close losses, when they stack up -- two, three, four, five in a row -- they change the tenor of the season. If these close losses turn into wins, we're close to .500 ball, we're looking at the playoffs, there's a different vibe for everybody in here. I would say (it's) these close losses in a row that really hurt -- they really hurt." Dinwiddie could get some help in the backcourt soon from D'Angelo Russell (knee), who has been out the last two months but practiced with the team's G League affiliate on Monday and is on track to return soon.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nets SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds on Monday.

2. Pistons SF Stanley Johnson (hip) missed the last five games and is still considered day-to-day.

3. The home team took the last four in the series, with Detroit last winning in Brooklyn 105-100 on Feb. 1, 2016.

PREDICTION: Pistons 108, Nets 104