As poorly as the Boston Celtics season has gone so far, the Detroit Pistons' campaign has arguably been even worse.
With Detroit currently mired in a nine-game skid, there's little debate over which team has struggled more lately.
The Celtics will try to take advantage of the visit from the floundering Pistons to end their season-high, five-game losing streak and a six-game skid at home Wednesday night (7 p.m. pregame, 7:30 tip-off on FOX Sports Detroit).
After winning 25 games in 2013-14, Boston is on pace to finish worse this season with its 4-11 start. The Celtics squandered a 22-point lead early in the third quarter in their latest defeat Tuesday, 109-105 to Atlanta.
Boston had 42 points in the opening quarter but was outscored 59-39 in the second half.
Jeff Green was a bright spot with 25 points - his most in six games - on 10-of-16 shooting, and Rajon Rondo had a season-high 19 assists. Jared Sullinger had 22 points, one shy of matching a season high, and nine rebounds.
"When it comes easy, we've been good. When it gets tough, we haven't. Pretty simple formula," coach Brad Stevens said. "The game honors the more physical team, and it does night in and night out. We've just got to improve in that area."
The Celtics are in the midst of their longest home losing streak since dropping a franchise-worst 13 consecutive games Dec. 20, 2006-Feb. 9, 2007, but appear to have one of their best opportunities to end that skid Wednesday.
That's because they'll face a Pistons team enduring its longest slide since a 10-game skid from March 1-22, 2013, and one that's just 1-7 on the road this season.
Detroit (3-15) has dropped its past three games away from home but this will be its only road game until Dec. 12. The Pistons wrapped up an 0-4 homestand with a 106-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and will play three straight at the Palace of Auburn Hills following Wednesday's game.
In their latest loss, Detroit couldn't recover after being outscored 35-20 in the third quarter, and shot 36.7 percent after connecting at a season-worst 36.3 in a 104-93 defeat to Golden State on Sunday.
Leading scorer Brandon Jennings had 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting after scoring 22 in his return Sunday from a hyperextended left thumb that sidelined him three games.
"Offensively, we just continue to be awful," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We're really messed up right now as a team. ... We have a lot of dilemmas, a lot of guys feeling pressure, but we're really not right mentally right now. That's got to change before anything else does."
The Pistons have won seven of the last nine meetings with the Celtics, including three of four last season. They've split their last four games in Boston after losing eight of 10 there, including the postseason.
