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Detroit Pistons seek first win against Wizards this season

By Chris Crowder

Feb 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots the ball as Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) and Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) defend in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots the ball as Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) and Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) defend in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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After leading the lowly Philadelphia 76ers by just three points heading into the first quarter in their match up on Saturday night, the Detroit Pistons took over in the fourth quarter to cruise to a 125-111 victory.

Finishing out games is something the Pistons will have to focus on for the rest of the season, as they are clinging onto 8th place in the Eastern Conference, only a game ahead of the Bulls. Meanwhile, the Pistons will face the Washington Wizards on Monday, who are 10th in the East and quickly falling behind in the pack.

However, the Pistons haven’t beaten the Wizards yet this season, falling, 98-86 on Feb. 19 and 97-95 on Nov. 21. With just 16 games left in the season including playing Washington again, Detroit must treat every night like it’s a must-win game in hopes of locking its first playoff spot since 2009.

To continue moving forward, coach Stan Van Gundy will continue to make changes to his preferred nine-man rotation. Stanley Johnson and Anthony Tolliver may gain more minutes against the Wizards to get back into the flow of things after their return from injury. Jodie Meeks is also back from missing over 60 games, but will play less minutes than his teammates as he will be near the bottom of the rotation.

The young core will continue to carry the load, and Tobias Harris has continued to impress, hovering around nearly 20 points a game in the 12 games he has played in Detroit. He continued his solid play last game against the 76ers, tallying 19 points. In his Pistons debut, Harris earned 21 points against the Wizards.

Reggie Jackson is coming off of a 24-10 double-double and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is following a 23 point night. Despite shooting well, some of his shot selection Saturday left Van Gundy with less to be desired. When he was asked if he could live with Caldwell-Pope’s shots if he was shooting well, Van Gundy responded with “Or die with it.”

Against Washington, Detroit will have to slow down John Wall, who put up a 22-8-8 night in the teams’ last matchup while scoring just eight points their first matchup. In the first duel, the Wizards dominated the paint as Nene and Marcin Gortat combined to rack up more than 30 points.Marcus Morris will also have an opportunity to face his twin brother, Markieff.

The Pistons have not lived up to expectation against the Wizards this season, and will look to change the script this time around.

Starting Lineups:

Detroit Pistons

Reggie Jackson

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Marcus Morris

Tobias Harris

Andre Drummond

Washington Wizards

John Wall

Garrett Temple

Otto Porter

Markieff Morris

Marcin Gortat

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