The Boston Celtics are in a rut and it's costing them ground in the Eastern Conference race.
They'll look to bounce back and hand the lowly Detroit Pistons a 10th straight road loss Sunday night.
Boston (52-23) has lost four of six to drop into third place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game behind Miami. Both teams are trying to catch Central Division champion Chicago.
"We would like to get 1 or 2," coach Doc Rivers said.
The Celtics' next two road games are against the Bulls and Heat, but first they'll try to recover after splitting a four-game trip. Boston lost the second half of back-to-back sets twice, including Friday's 88-83 loss at Atlanta.
"Either we can quit and go home or we can continue to get better," forward Kevin Garnett said. "There's no history of quitting in this team, so we'll just move forward."
The Celtics were impressive in Thursday's 107-97 win over league-leading San Antonio, shooting 54.8 percent. One night later, they shot 44.6 percent and were outrebounded 52-38 by the Hawks.
"The difference between last night and tonight was the ball didn't move enough," Rivers said Friday. "I thought we took quick, bad shots."
One positive for Boston is that its frontcourt is getting healthier. Jermaine O'Neal returned for the last two games after missing 36 with a knee injury while Shaquille O'Neal is close to coming back after being out since Feb. 1 due to a strained left Achilles' tendon.
The Celtics have won two of three against Detroit (26-49) this season despite minimal contributions from Ray Allen. Allen has averaged 11.7 points on 40.0 percent shooting against the Pistons, and is showing signs of slowing down with a 12.7-point average on 35.6 percent shooting over his last seven games.
Paul Pierce, meanwhile, had a strong trip by averaging 23.0 points. He's averaging 25.3 on 61.4 percent shooting against Detroit this season.
The Pistons are one defeat away from their first consecutive 50-loss campaigns since 1993-94 and '94-95. Detroit has dropped five of six overall after Friday's 101-96 home loss to the Bulls.
Coach John Kuester decided to rest Tracy McGrady due to tired legs and put Will Bynum in the lineup after Rodney Stuckey chose to come off the bench.
"I thought our guys really competed tonight," Kuester said. "I thought they worked hard and they gave us everything they had."
The Pistons made more than half their shots for the third straight game, finishing at 52.0 percent.
Detroit, though, has had at least 20 turnovers every time in that stretch, with 21 on Friday. That hasn't been a major problem for most of the season since the Pistons lead the Eastern Conference in that department with 12.9 per game.
"When you turn the ball over 20 times, that's what kills you," Kuester said. "I thought our guys were really trying hard."
Richard Hamilton had 30 points for his second-highest scoring effort of the season. Hamilton missed both losses to Boston this season and scored nine points off the bench in a 104-92 home victory Dec. 29.
Detroit last dropped 10 straight on the road during an 11-game skid Feb. 24-April 3, 2010.
Boston lost its last two home games to Memphis and Charlotte, the first time all season it has dropped back-to-back home contests.
They'll look to bounce back and hand the lowly Detroit Pistons a 10th straight road loss Sunday night.
Boston (52-23) has lost four of six to drop into third place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game behind Miami. Both teams are trying to catch Central Division champion Chicago.
"We would like to get 1 or 2," coach Doc Rivers said.
The Celtics' next two road games are against the Bulls and Heat, but first they'll try to recover after splitting a four-game trip. Boston lost the second half of back-to-back sets twice, including Friday's 88-83 loss at Atlanta.
"Either we can quit and go home or we can continue to get better," forward Kevin Garnett said. "There's no history of quitting in this team, so we'll just move forward."
The Celtics were impressive in Thursday's 107-97 win over league-leading San Antonio, shooting 54.8 percent. One night later, they shot 44.6 percent and were outrebounded 52-38 by the Hawks.
"The difference between last night and tonight was the ball didn't move enough," Rivers said Friday. "I thought we took quick, bad shots."
One positive for Boston is that its frontcourt is getting healthier. Jermaine O'Neal returned for the last two games after missing 36 with a knee injury while Shaquille O'Neal is close to coming back after being out since Feb. 1 due to a strained left Achilles' tendon.
The Celtics have won two of three against Detroit (26-49) this season despite minimal contributions from Ray Allen. Allen has averaged 11.7 points on 40.0 percent shooting against the Pistons, and is showing signs of slowing down with a 12.7-point average on 35.6 percent shooting over his last seven games.
Paul Pierce, meanwhile, had a strong trip by averaging 23.0 points. He's averaging 25.3 on 61.4 percent shooting against Detroit this season.
The Pistons are one defeat away from their first consecutive 50-loss campaigns since 1993-94 and '94-95. Detroit has dropped five of six overall after Friday's 101-96 home loss to the Bulls.
Coach John Kuester decided to rest Tracy McGrady due to tired legs and put Will Bynum in the lineup after Rodney Stuckey chose to come off the bench.
"I thought our guys really competed tonight," Kuester said. "I thought they worked hard and they gave us everything they had."
The Pistons made more than half their shots for the third straight game, finishing at 52.0 percent.
Detroit, though, has had at least 20 turnovers every time in that stretch, with 21 on Friday. That hasn't been a major problem for most of the season since the Pistons lead the Eastern Conference in that department with 12.9 per game.
"When you turn the ball over 20 times, that's what kills you," Kuester said. "I thought our guys were really trying hard."
Richard Hamilton had 30 points for his second-highest scoring effort of the season. Hamilton missed both losses to Boston this season and scored nine points off the bench in a 104-92 home victory Dec. 29.
Detroit last dropped 10 straight on the road during an 11-game skid Feb. 24-April 3, 2010.
Boston lost its last two home games to Memphis and Charlotte, the first time all season it has dropped back-to-back home contests.
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