Bulls hope to stay alive in Detroit

Detroit leads this best-of-seven series 3-1. If necessary, Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday at the United Center.

On Sunday, Luol Deng scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds as the fifth-seeded Bulls held off another fourth-quarter rally to beat the top-seeded Pistons, 102-87, in Game 4 at the United Center

Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon scored 19 points apiece in the victory for Chicago. Hinrich also dished out 10 assists, while Ben Wallace posted a double-double with 11 points and 17 rebounds against his former team.

Chauncey Billups scored 23 points and handed out eight assists, while Tayshaun Prince ended with 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss for Detroit. Rasheed Wallace finished with 14 points and seven boards for the Pistons, who shot 37.3 percent from the field, including 24 percent from beyond the arc.

The Pistons, who swept No. 8 Orlando in the opening round of the postseason, have won two of their last three Game 5s in the postseason. Detroit, which has made it to at least the conference semifinals for a sixth straight year, has appeared in the East finals four straight years.

Chicago has lost three straight Games 5s. The Bulls swept the fourth- seeded Miami Heat in round one of the postseason.

There is a lot of playoff history between Chicago and Detroit. This is the sixth time these clubs have battled in the postseason. The Pistons have won three of the five series.

Chicago eliminated the Pistons in seven games in the 1974 Western Conference semifinals and swept Detroit, 4-0, in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.

The Pistons beat the Bulls in five, 4-1, in the 1988 East semis. They also knocked out Chicago in the Eastern Conference finals in 1989 (4-2) and 1990 (4-3).

Detroit won its fifth Central Division title in the past six seasons during the 2006-07 campaign. The Pistons, who have reached the postseason for a sixth straight year, fell in six games against the Miami Heat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons are the No. 1 seed for the third time in four years and own home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs.

Chicago, which advanced past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 1998 when it last won the NBA title, are in the playoffs for the third straight year and 28th time in team history.