Wizards Misfire In Pistons Loss
Thursday night saw the Washington Wizards take on the Detroit Pistons in the Motor City. The Wizards were still without John Wall, who did dress and is expected to play Saturday afternoon at 3:00p.m. EST against the Charlotte Hornets. The Detroit Pistons were missing Blake Griffin due to an ankle injury, but Reggie Jackson, who was injured for the last match up between the Wizards and the Pistons, was back in the line up. Despite a resurgence late in the 3rd and in the 4th by the Wizards, they fell 103-92 to the Pistons.
Washington Wizards Game Leaders
Beal 15 Points
Satoransky 6 Assists
Gortat 12 Rebounds
Detroit Pistons
Drummond 24 Points
Jackson 8 Assists
Drummond 23 Rebounds
This game was a pretty mediocre showing on the Washington Wizards’ part. The theory is that the Wizards are trying to match up against the Boston Celtics in the first round of playoffs so are determined to lose the last few games in order to do so. Currently the Wizards are sitting at 6th and need to be the 7th seed. I would argue that some mental fatigue may also be setting in, and the players might just be trying to take a breather before the playoffs.
The Wizards took the early lead but the Pistons started to catch up at the end of the 1st. The teams looked evenly matched with the game being tied at the half. Things started to slide after the half. Both Otto Porter and Bradley Beal went down with injuries in the 3rd.
We lost Otto Porter to a right ankle injury and there has been no update on whether he will be available to play against the Charlotte Hornets Saturday afternoon. In the 3rd Bradley Beal also seemed to take a sharp knee to the quadricep and he sat out for a little bit but returned to the game and played the 4th. Likely just a charley horse and strain preventative measure.
Andre Drummond was a beast for the Pistons, and the two Reggies were on fire with the shooting late in the 4th. The Pistons were dominant in the 2nd half of the game. The Wizards looked like they were closing the lead in the 4th behind a strong showing from Kelly Oubre Jr but the Pistons turned up beast mode and they won the game 103-92.
Next up: Charlotte Hornets 3:00p.m. EST @ home in D.C.