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Bulls try to overcome road struggles vs. Pistons

Dec 23, 2008 - 11:15 AM Chicago (13-14) at Detroit (14-11), 8:00pm EST

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bulls will be put to the test over the next week. Still trying to claw their way back to the .500 mark, they take to the road for a four-game trip against Eastern Conference foes.

The Bulls have struggled away from home. They kick off their trip on Tuesday as they head to Detroit to take on the Central Division rival Pistons.

Chicago stole a victory at The Palace last December thanks to Andres Nocioni's 22-point showing. But both of these teams have undergone a facelift this season. The Bulls brought in a new coach, Vinny Del Negro, who has installed a more up-tempo attack centered around this summer's top overall draft pick, rising star point guard Derrick Rose.

The Pistons, meanwhile, dealt longtime staple Chauncey Billups to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson. So far, the experiment has been met with mixed results. Iverson and his new teammates still haven't gotten used to each other and the team is 10-11 with the perennial All-Star in the lineup.

He went 4-of-11 from the floor for 10 points in Sunday's 85-78 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit's second defeat in a row. The Bulls are coming off a thrilling, 106-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday in what may have been one of the team's best performances of the season.

As they have for most of the season, Rose and backcourt partner Ben Gordon carried the Bulls, combining for 50 points. The two are accounting for 38.6 points and 10.0 assists per game.