Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons rematch preview, Digi Mart USA News (Washington, D.C.): The Washington Wizards are returning home needing a turnaround, having gone winless over a four-game losing streak that extended their active skid to five consecutive defeats. The Detroit Pistons were among the teams that handed the Wizards a humbling during their road trip, and the two sides meet again in a D.C.-hosted rematch just three days after their previous encounter.
Washington’s early record stands at 4-8, and the Wizards need to learn from the mistakes they made in their 122-111 loss in Detroit and the Indiana Pacers defeat that came between the two Pistons games. Their latest setback in Indiana came in a 114-101 loss to the shorthanded Pacers, a game in which they had been tied entering the fourth quarter.
Anthony Davis was the standout in Detroit, scoring 44 points on 16-of-21 shooting, his highest single-game total in four years, and adding 13 rebounds. The Pistons were without Jalen Duren, who remains inactive for the Washington game with a tender hamstring injury, and Davis is averaging 25 points per game.
He was less effective in Indiana, however, where Ivica Zubac helped limit him, and he may not have the same energy on the second night of a back-to-back.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit’s offense with 17 points and seven assists in the first meeting. Washington has struggled to contain him in the past, but the Pistons’ role players were the difference, as Duncan Robinson, Daniss Jenkins and John Collins combined for 68 points.
Washington’s bench also continued to leave concerns, with Tre Johnson, Deandre Ayton and Bub Carrington each finishing with just one basket.
Despite the Pistons’ struggles from three-point range, the Wizards’ defensive issues were the bigger problem. Washington won the offensive rebounding battle and made more threes than Detroit, which points to a loss driven largely by lineup depth.
Their visiting defensive rating of 118.1 compares unfavorably with their home mark of 105.2, and the team has played twice as many games on the road as at home.
The Wizards have also seen their assist totals drop, from 25 in a 120-105 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks to just 12 in Indiana. With a young roster, a few questionable contracts and a fan base that has grown less optimistic, the homecoming gives Washington a chance to begin addressing those problems.
