Pistons fall to the Wizards 105-101 in the final game at the Palace
The Pistons late season magic wore off as they fell 105-101 to the Washington Wizards at the final game ever played at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons weren’t able to continue their end of season surge as they came up short against the Washington Wizards tonight. It wasn’t the ideal way to send off the Palace but it was a night to enjoy by many Pistons greats such as Isiah Thomas and Chauncey Billups as they were in attendance.
The Wizards led for most of the night before a third quarter surge by the Pistons which kept them in the game late. Ultimately, Bradley Beal proved too much to handle as he scored inside and out throughout the entire game. Beal finished with 33 points on 13/20 shooting.
There were not very many bright spots for the Pistons tonight. Tobias Harris came alive after a slow start and led the Pistons with 22 points. Reggie Bullock continued to knock down three pointers and play solid defense.
KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. B-. Kentavious struggled offensively for the game, finishing 2-7 for 5 points. He played his brand of aggressive defense and with great intensity as usual.. SG. Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS. B. Marcus had a pretty quiet night but made some nice drives and played solid defense. He finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and a steal.. SF
A-. I was ready to give Harris something close to an F going into the second half but he came to finish with 22 points and kept the Pistons in the game. He did get burned a few times on defense and was on the receiving end of some good old fashioned Stan Van Gundy outbursts because of it.. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
C+. Drummond did not play poorly but overall didn’t have much of an effect on the game. He finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds in only 23 minutes played.. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
STANLEY JOHNSON. B+. Like Harris, Stanley Johnson got off to a slow start in this game and had his minutes cut in the first half because of missed defensive assignments and turnovers. He got it together in the second half and hit a pair of huge 3 pointers to keep the Pistons in it when the momentum was starting to turn in Washington’s favor.. SF. Detroit Pistons
A. Ish Smith gets the only solid A on the Pistons side. He was his usual dependable self and posted 16 points to go along with 9 assists. He really set the pace for the team and was a go-to down the stretch.. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH
N/A. Leuer sat on the bench all game before logging 4 minutes to match up with Jason Smith at center. He didn’t do much but really didn’t have the opportunity to.. PF. Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER
B-. Darrun Hilliard was forced into backup point guard duties with Beno Udrih unavailable after his knee injury. He did not look very comfortable but played fine in the role.. SG. Detroit Pistons. DARRUN HILLIARD
B. Boban had his first game recently where he did not dominate. He struggled to gain position against Washington’s backup center, Ian Mahinmi, and missed more shots than normal at the rim. Still, he posted a solid 8 points and 8 rebounds in 19 minutes.. C. Detroit Pistons. BOBAN MARJANOVIC
A-. Reggie Bullock played a solid 19 minutes, shooting 4-6 overall for 11 points. His shooting ability keeps defenses on their toes and again he contributed a ton in the way of ball movement.. SG/SF. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
C+. Like Boban, Ellenson had his first game recently where he failed to make much of an impact. He only had 3 points on 1-4 shooting and grabbed a mere 3 rebounds. Still, he played hard and looks comfortable on the court offensively and is not afraid to let the ball fly when he is open.. PF/C. Detroit Pistons. HENRY ELLENSON
The Pistons will take on the Orlando Magic in their season finale on Wednesday.