Wizards 25-30 vs Pistons 12-44
When: Monday, February 14th, at 7:00p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
TV: NBCS Washington, Bally Sports Detroit
Radio: The Team 980, WFED 1500 AM/ 97.1 FM The Ticket
Injury
Wizards: Brad Beal (Out, Left Wrist Surgery), Daniel Gafford (Out, Return to Competition Conditioning), Kristaps Porzingis (Out, Right Knee Bone Bruise)
Pistons: Frank Jackson (Out, Bilateral Lumbar Spine; Spasm)
Keep an eye on:
Detroits Home Cooking: in Jerami Grant and Saddiq Bey. Both DMV products have become building blocks for the Pistons as they look towards the future. Their versatility gives teams trouble as they're interchangeable between both forward spots, capable of impacting both ends from either forward position. Bey is coming off a 25 point, 4 rebound, 3 assist performance in Detroit's loss to Charlotte. Bey shot 8-16 from the field and 3-8 from deep. Grant comes in to tonight's contest leading Detroit in scoring at 19 points per game, while adding 4.5 rebounds and nearly 3 assists. Washington needs to be in constant communication as they get back on defense to properly match-up with these two forwards. Failing to do so will all but guarantee a mismatch that will be in the favor of the Pistons.
Washington's Shot Selection/Decision Making: is what cost them the game against Sacramento. After building a 65-59 lead at the half over Sacramento, Washington shot 6-18 from deep in the third quarter and turned the ball over ten times in the second half after not turning it over at all in the first half. The result? Sacramento shot 55.6 percent from field and 50 percent from 3-point range in the third quarter, scoring 33 points in the period to take a 92-88 lead. The Kings never relinquished the lead again. When Washington isn't settling for tough three pointers and taking care of the ball, they're a competitive team. When they do settle, you get the result from Saturday night against Sacramento. Cleaning things up in these two areas can go a long a way towards Washington enjoying a win this evening.