• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Pistons-Nets Preview

Feb 2, 2010 - 2:21 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Detroit (15-31) at New Jersey (4-42), 7:30 p.m. EDT

While the Detroit Pistons aren't in danger of setting the league's single-season worst record like the New Jersey Nets are, they can relate to how quickly a season can turn bad.

Detroit looks to snap a five-game losing streak Tuesday night at the Izod Center, where it will face a Nets team that's been playing better defense lately.

With a 4-19 record since a five-game winning streak that ended Dec. 12, the Pistons (15-31) will most likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2001. New Jersey, meanwhile, is 4-42 and on pace to match the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record (9-73) in NBA history.

"No team is going to feel sorry for you," Pistons coach John Kuester told the team's official Web site Monday. "You've got to go out and win it. It's obvious - everyone knows what they're going through and we're going through our situation with the idea, hey, we've got to do whatever it takes to win."

Detroit, which also hosts the Nets on Saturday, has won nine of 11 in this matchup but has dropped two straight in New Jersey. In the teams' last meeting at the Izod Center, the Nets won 111-98 on April 1 behind Keyon Dooling's five 3-pointers and 23 points and 19 points and 11 assists from Devin Harris.

Harris could return Tuesday after missing four games with a sprained right wrist.

"We've increased our halfcourt defense tremendously, but we're still struggling in transition," Harris told the Nets' official Web site following Monday's practice. "Offensively \2013 and defensively \2013 I don't think we've pushed the ball as much as I think that we could. But those are things I think that I can affect personally, especially on the offensive end, pushing the tempo a little bit."

The Nets are scoring a league-low 89.7 points per game, including 79 in each of their last two, but they are holding teams to 83.7 on 40.1 percent shooting in their last three contests. New Jersey's opponents averaged 113.8 points and hit 54.6 percent from the field in the previous six games.

"We had a bad third quarter, and our defense kept us in the game," Nets interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said following Sunday's 83-79 loss to Philadelphia. "I think the guys see that you've got to build on that. I know we didn't get the result we wanted, because we ended up losing at the end, but we were there at the end - with a chance to win - because of our defense."

Pistons 6-foot-9 center Ben Wallace, a four-time defensive player of the year, needs one block to become the first player in league history shorter than 6-10 to reach 2,000. Wallace leads the Pistons with 9.2 rebounds per game.

Nets center Brook Lopez, who is scoring a team-best 18.9 points per game with 9.3 boards, averaged 19.3 and 8.7 in three starts versus Detroit in 2008-09.

Charlie Villanueva, who averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds against New Jersey last season while with Milwaukee, could miss his second straight game due to back spasms.