Pistons Hope Practice Time Helps End 9 Game Skid

Assimilating several key players into the lineup after they returned from injuries has been difficult for the Detroit Pistons.

The busy NBA schedule doesn’t allow for much practice time. But the Pistons are in the midst of practicing for three consecutive days between games for the first time this season.

The Pistons will carry a nine-game losing streak into their game Tuesday at Dallas. That marks the longest losing streak for the Pistons since the 1993-94 season, and they have lost those nine games by an average of 13 points.

In other words, they could use the extra work.

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The Pistons returned to the practice court Saturday after taking a league-mandated day off on New Year’s Day. They had one of their longest practices of the season and will be back on the court Sunday and Monday before traveling to Texas to play Dallas and San Antonio on consecutive days.

Kuester said the Pistons are getting back to basics, and that means doing a better job playing defense on the perimeter and crashing the boards.

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Both the Mavericks and the Spurs have big men who can do some serious damage.

Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots in a 95-90 win over the Pistons at The Palace in November. Nowitzki averages 25.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Tim Duncan averages 19.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for the Spurs.

The Pistons are sixth in the NBA in rebound differential, having outrebounded their opponents by a 41-39 margin on average. The Pistons rank 19th overall in rebounds at 41.2 per game, but they have struggled on the boards in recent games.

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Even though the Pistons suffered their ninth consecutive loss Thursday, Kuester said he saw several positive signs in that game.

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“Let me tell you this right now: I will not waver on it -- no matter how many losses we have -- from what we want to get accomplished, because the bottom line is we’ve got to get better,” Kuester said. “If we’re getting better, then I’ll see light at the end of the tunnel.

“We’ve had moments where we’re making two steps forward and one step backwards. We’ve got to keep getting those steps going forward.”