It's a Make or Miss League: Three Observations From Detroit's Big Win Over Washington
Editor's Note: Two writers accidentally put together an observations piece, so we will just go with it and push out two of them. If you would like to read the other piece, it can be found here.
After getting the difficult news that the Pistons would be without shooting guard Luke Kennard for at least the next two weeks, it would have been oh-so easy for Detroit to look downtrodden against the woeful Washington Wizards. Instead, the Pistons went out and did what they have not been able to do this season: beat an inferior opponent to a pulp.
The Pistons manhandled the Wizards by a final score of 132-102 to improve to 12-20 on the season, ending a five-game losing streak. Washington, who was without star Bradley Beal for a good chunk of the game, falls to 9-21. Here are three observations from tonight's contest:
1: Blowout = Rest for the Starters
No starter played more than 27 minutes tonight and, considering the current state of injuries on this team, that is a win in and of itself. Blake played 26 minutes and put up 14 points and 11 rebounds while Andre Drummond had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Frazier (!!!) provided the scorers punch with the starters with 17 points and dished out six assists. He was efficient (62.5% from the floor) and worked admirably stepping into the starting lineup.
2: Christian Wood Leading the Team in Points
Well, I did not see that coming. Wood had 22 points (on 77.8% shooting), seven rebounds, and three assists. The resurgent backup center continues his excellent season and was able to absorb plenty of minutes from the starters while still continuing to pummel the Wizards. Overall, it was a very balanced game from the entire squad. But Wood stood out against the thin Washington front court.
3: The Pistons Actaully Beat a Bad Team
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">0-8 against the Bulls, Wizards and Hornets.</p>— Duncan Smith (@DuncanSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuncanSmithNBA/status/1208571618831863808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2019</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Thats right! Up until tonight, the Pistons had not beaten the Wizards, Hornets, or Bulls. Three of the worst teams in the league, ones who are not even trying to be good. The teams that Detroit needs to feast on the rest of the season if they want to be playing in the postseason. Blowing teams out and allowing for a balanced attack from the starters and bench is a nice way recipe for success.
(Featured image by Time Fuller/USA Today Sports)