Preview: Bulls travel to Detroit to battle Pistons tonight on CSN

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Watch as the Bulls take on the Pistons on Monday night on CSN and streaming live on CSNChicago.com. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. with Bulls Pregame Live. Then stick around after the final buzzer to watch Bulls Postgame Live for highlights and analysis.

Click here to watch the game or download the NBC Sports App, your home for live streaming coverage of the Bulls.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

1. The point-guard carousel continues. In Saturday's loss to the Clippers, Jerian Grant got the start but played just 10 minutes. Rajon Rondo looked good with the second unit but is a game-time decision. Cameronj Payne played 11 ugly minutes and Michael Carter-Williams didn't get off the bench. Until Fred Hoiberg figures out how he wants to rotate his point guards it's going to be something to watch each night. Expect Grant and Payne to log major minutes if Rondo, who's played the best of all of them lately, can't go.

2. Andre Drummond feasting. The rebound machine that is Andre Drummond has done some of his best work against the Bulls. While he's been quiet in two games against Chicago this season (averaging just 12 points and 7 rebounds) he's averaged 13.0 points and 13.2 rebounds in 18 career games against them, including three of his 12 career 20-20 games. The Bulls did a solid job against DeAndre Jordan on Saturday (14 rebounds in 31 minutes) and will need to do the same against Drummond.

3. Playoff implications. Heading into Monday's game the eighth-seeded Pistons sit a single game back of the seventh-seeded Bulls in the East playoff race. They play again at the end of March in Chicago, but a win for the Bulls here would give them at least a season series split (they've split the first two games this season) which could be important come seeding time. The No. 8 seed, of course, will likely face the Cavaliers in the first round.

4. Getting Jimmy going. Jimmy Butler is still the Bulls' best player. That much is clear and won't be changing anytime soon. But the reality is he just hasn't been himself of late, even if the Bulls are still winning. He attempted just seven shots on Saturday, and over his last eight games is shooting just 38 percent from the field. The Bulls are pulling their weight around Butler, but that isn't a long-term winning recipe.

5. The Bobby Portis Show. He didn't finish strong on Saturday against the Clippers (no one on the Bulls did) but Portis still managed to finish with 11 points and seven rebounds. That gives him 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in 23 minutes over his last eight games, five of which he's started. The Bulls are going to give him as much run as they can down the stretch, and he'll be tested against Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris when the Pistons go small.

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