Wizards at Pistons
The Detroit Pistons resembled the team they want to be in Wednesday's 118-95 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks, but maintaining any sort of consistency has been a problem all season. The Pistons will try to put together back-to-back solid outings when they host the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Detroit dropped three straight and was blown out at Golden State and Utah last week, leading to a meeting between head coach Stan Van Gundy and ownership that ended with everyone on the same page. The Pistons rallied to earn a 102-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers closing that trip and looked happy to be home while opening a 42-18 lead after the first quarter and cruising past the Hawks on Wednesday. “They key is you’ve got to do it more than once in a while,” Van Gundy told reporters after the win. “So we’ll see. Going into Saturday and going into Monday, can we sustain that kind of play going forward?" The Wizards present a unique challenge with a plethora of shooting options and a point guard - John Wall - that excels at slashing and kicking the ball out to open shooters, and they come into Detroit riding a four-game winning streak.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (23-19): Wall was passed over as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team when the announcements were made on Thursday and responded by delivering 29 points and 13 assists in a nationally televised game against the New York Knicks. Wall also grabbed three steals in the 113-110 triumph, including one in the final seconds that prevented the Knicks from attempting a game-tying shot. “It’s good to get the stops when we needed it,” Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "I will tell our guys in the next day or so, it’s not about making shots. It’s about getting the right shots and competing on the defensive end."
ABOUT THE PISTONS (20-24): Van Gundy echoes that sentiment with his team, and the players are beginning to buy in. “I think our defense really led to being able to get out in transition and not have to worry about a play call every time or a set play to get the ball to a distinct are rather than just play free-falling basketball," Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson told reporters. "It’s a combination of talk and just want to." Jackson was part of a perimeter defense that held the Hawks to 6-of-25 from beyond the arc and added a team-high 26 points at the other end after failing to reach 20 in any of the previous four contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pistons SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (shoulder) sat out the last three games and is questionable for Saturday.
2. Wizards SG Bradley Beal is 8-of-27 from the field, including 1-of-14 from 3-point range, in the last two games.
3. Washington took five of the last six in the series, including a 122-108 home triumph on Dec. 16.