Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva getting hot in a hurry

Auburn Hills -- The shocking thing is how quickly they can score points. Pure, unfiltered, simply putting points on the scoreboard.

Before looking up from the scoresheet, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva will have scored a bundle of points in such quick fashion, it doesn't seem at all possible.

But it is with these two. They have that capability. So efficiently, and easily, too, more easy than it really should be.

Interestingly, neither knows when that hot streak is coming, when that bunch of points in a short period is going to appear.

"You don't know when it's going to happen," said Villanueva, who scored 22 in a quarter against Orlando on Nov. 6. "I don't feel any different.

"It just happens."

Now, if he makes a few in a row, maybe different types of shots, too, then Villanueva knows he could be on his way to one of those sizzling rolls.

And those are fun.

"I get a couple of those (shots), and the shots feel pretty good, well, then you know," said Villanueva, 25. "Once you get rolling, it's hard to be stopped."

Gordon built a reputation with the Bulls for his ability to get hot in a hurry. In last season's first-round playoff series against the Celtics, Gordon's offensive spurts carried the Bulls to a seventh game before they lost a series few felt they had much chance to win.

For Gordon, the key is to make sure the points come within the team framework.

"You want the ball to be moved and make sure it's the best shot available," said Gordon, 26. "You don't want to get away from the offense."

To their teammates' credit, whenever it's been obvious either of the two players are entering a zone, they've made sure Villanueva or Gordon are being fed the ball -- a lot.

"They've done a good job of recognizing it," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "It says a lot about our team."

There were some doubts when the Pistons signed Gordon and Villanueva last summer as free agents.

Some analysts doubted how they'd fit in on the current roster and questioned supposed weak defensive games.

Though neither will make any all-defensive team anytime soon, both have shown to be at least average, and with a desire to improve on that end.

As for their offense, it's been absolutely scorching at times.

No munchkins here

So much has been made of the Pistons' three-guard lineup this season, but how about that "tall" or "big" lineup that Kuester used last week out West?

With Rodney Stuckey (or Will Bynum ) at guard, and the likes of Ben Wallace , Villanueva (or Jonas Jerebko ), Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers on the floor with him, the group got back into games against the Lakers and Trail Blazers.

Kuester was quick to point out, though, that Summers (big guard) and Daye (small forward) actually were playing their normal positions in the setup.

"It just so happens they were a little bit taller (than players normally in that spot)," Kuester said. "I laugh when (people said) it was the big lineup."

Home cooking

The Pistons are home for seven of their next nine games.

With a losing streak that stands at five, this could be a good opportunity for the team to reverse its fortunes dramatically.

"We need to use that to our advantage," Gordon said of the upcoming homestand. "Get our rest, rely on our crowd and try to will ourselves to get a win."

Not including Sunday's blowout loss to the Suns, Gordon felt the Pistons were in position to win any of the previous West Coast road losses.

"We'd been playing well on the road, staying in games and giving ourselves a shot at the end," Gordon said. "Hopefully being at home will put us over the hump."

By the numbers

1 Pistons' wins against Western Conference teams this season (compared to seven losses).

1,200 Career steals for Ben Wallace, with two in Sunday's game.

9-5 The Pistons' record last season after 14 games; this season, they're 5-9.

Nasty November

The month of November hasn't been kind thus far to the Pistons. Here is the breakdown:

Record ... 4-7

Field-goal pct. ... 45.2

3-point pct ... 31.4

Free-throw pct ... 73.6

Assist per game ... 15.5

Rebounds per game ... 6.7

Points per game ... 93.7

No offense

 For all the talk of the Pistons being a dynamic offensive team before the season began, it hasn't showed up statistically (injuries to Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince haven't helped).

 The Pistons ranked 26th in the league in scoring entering Tuesday's games.

1. Phoenix ... 110.4

2. Golden State ... 109.6

3. Denver ... 107.9

4. Toronto ... 106.3

5. Atlanta ... 105.5

26. Detroit ... 92.5

Quotable

“It’s been kind of the theme (this season). We dig ourselves into a big hole and then try to dig ourselves out.”

-- Charlie Villanueva, right, on the Pistons’ penchant of falling behind early, then rallying.

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