Chicago @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2018 ) Detroit 105, Chicago 107

The Detroit Pistons are watching their window to make a run at a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference close rapidly as they struggle to find the win column. The Pistons will try to snap a four-game slide and earn just their third win in the last 13 games when they host the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

Detroit entered play on Thursday five games behind the eighth-place Miami Heat with 17 games left in the regular season, but at least they played the East-leading Raptors tough in a 121-119 overtime home loss on Wednesday. "I didn't think we were terrible-terrible," Pistons forward Blake Griffin told reporters of a third quarter in which his team was outscored 40-25. "We just gave up big plays. Offense rebound out for three, a couple of and-one threes. Big plays like that. It wasn't necessarily that we were awful in our coverages and our second efforts. I think it was just that they got in transition, got easy ones and we just couldn't stop the bleeding." The Bulls are winners of two of their last three games, but both of those victories came over Western Conference teams fighting for the bottom of the standings. Chicago hasn't won a road game since knocking off Atlanta 113-97 on Jan. 20 and will play eight of the remaining 12 games in March away from home.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS Detroit

ABOUT THE BULLS (22-42): Chicago is building for the future and got a glimpse of what success down the road may look like when Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen each went for 20 or more points in Tuesday's 119-110 win over Memphis. "I thought those three were really good, especially Lauri," coach Fred Hoiberg told the media. "We put the ball in Kris' hands late, Zach as well, and (they) made plays. Kris brought us home with knocking down free throws when he got fouled. ... To have that balanced scoring was a fun thing for our team." LaVine scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the win after managing four points on 1-of-11 in a loss to Boston on Monday.

ABOUT THE PISTONS (29-36): Griffin stopped putting so much emphasis on being a playmaker after a talk with coach Stan Van Gundy last week and is averaging 29 points on 50 percent shooting over the last three games. "He's taking the shots that are there," Van Gundy told reporters. "He's taking open shots without hesitation, which I think helps him shoot the ball better and will obviously lead to more shots. But he's shooting it freely and without hesitation." The 31 points Griffin scored on Tuesday matched his highest total since coming over in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of January.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pistons SF Stanley Johnson (back) sat out Wednesday and is day-to-day.

2. Bulls SG Justin Holiday returned to the lineup on Wednesday after sitting out three games in deference to younger players and went 5-of-5 from the floor in
17 minutes, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

3. Chicago took the last meeting 107-105 at home on Jan. 13

PREDICTION: Pistons 103, Bulls 101