Pistons' Van Gundy plans changes for Grizzlies

Coach Stan Van Gundy hasn't revealed how he will tinker with the Detroit Pistons' lineup on Wednesday. He will say without hesitation that at least one change will be made as his team tries to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Pistons' defense has collapsed during that stretch of double-digit defeats, including a 113-82 thumping in Chicago on Monday night. Van Gundy called that performance "disgusting" and vowed to shake up the lineup for his team's home game against Memphis. He confirmed that after practice on Tuesday.

"I definitely know where I'm leaning," he told reporters. "I just don't want to discuss it with you guys. I'll talk to you about it after the game."

Power forward Joe Leuer and point guard Ish Smith are the most likely candidates to move into the lineup. Leuer is averaging career highs of 11 points and 6.3 rebounds and could replace either Tobias Harris or Marcus Morris. Smith started the first 21 games at point guard while Reggie Jackson recovered from knee tendinitis. The Pistons have gone 3-6 since Jackson's return.

No matter which rotation Van Gundy uses, the Pistons (14-16) need to rediscover their defensive principles. They had given up the second-fewest points in the league before the skid, but the last three opponents have averaged 113.3 points.

"You've got to play a lot harder. That's always the starting point," Van Gundy said. "Until you do that, really nothing else matters. That's where it starts."

Detroit could be catching Memphis at the right time. The Grizzlies (18-12), who have also lost three straight, will be playing the second game of a back-to-back. They lost at home to Boston in overtime, 112-109, on Tuesday and then headed to Michigan.

Center Marc Gasol and guard Tony Daniels scored 24 points apiece but Memphis couldn't contain Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, who torched them for 44 points.

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley had 19 points and eight assists over 35 minutes in his third game since returning from a lower-back injury. It's uncertain whether Conley will play two straight nights at this juncture.

"Playing an NBA game is a shock on the body after sitting down for a couple of weeks," Conley told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "And the mind follows it. The more you play, the easier it becomes. I'm not worried about (performance). I'm just trying to stay healthy."

Memphis will soon get a boost from its major free-agent acquisition. Forward Chandler Parsons, who bolted Dallas for a four-year, $94 million contract from the Grizzlies, missed his 18th consecutive game on Tuesday with a left knee bruise.

Parsons participated in a full-contact workout on Monday.

"It's days now," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told the Commercial Appeal about Parsons' return to action. "We're down to a matter of days. I'm really excited, but I'm also a realist from a standpoint that he'll be rusty, too."

Memphis recorded one- and two-point victories over Detroit last season.