Pistons-Wizards Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Mar 25 2012 10:45PM

The Detroit Pistons have admitted that the latest twists in this topsy-turvy NBA schedule have affected them, but they won't be the more fatigued team in their next game.

The Pistons have enjoyed a welcome day off as they travel to face the Washington Wizards, who return home to complete a stretch of three games in as many nights Monday.

Detroit (16-32) is back on the road for the second game of four on this trip. The Pistons played five away from home against Western Conference foes, returned home to get routed 88-73 by Miami on Friday and began this journey with Saturday's 101-79 defeat at New York.

Making matters worse, Rodney Stuckey (sore left big toe) and Will Bynum (virus) were out against the Knicks. Both could return Monday.

"Everybody is fatigued. They (the Knicks) just came off a back-to-back like us. That's never an excuse in this league," center Greg Monroe said. "Everybody has to play back-to-back, triples. It's never an excuse to blame it on the season."

Ben Gordon led Detroit with 20 points and Monroe was the only other Piston in double digits with 12. Detroit shot 36.8 percent.

"The schedule is kind of tough," Gordon told the Pistons' official website. "Everybody has their points in this kind of season where it's like your body is going to be tired or just drained. I think that's what we're going through a little bit right now.

"We've got to figure out a way to get over the hump. The travel is crazy. We've just got to figure out how to come together, work through it, get better and win some games."

Detroit will be out to avenge a 98-77 home defeat to Washington (11-37) on Feb. 12. The Pistons' 32.6 percent shooting was their second-worst mark and the worst by a Wizards opponent all season.

Washington might not be able to defend as well this time judging by the way this back-to-back-to-back stretch has gone. The Wizards allowed Atlanta to shoot 48.7 percent in Saturday's 95-92 home loss and Boston to connect at 48.6 percent in Sunday's 88-76 road defeat.

Coach Randy Wittman wasn't happy after his team allowed unheralded Celtics guard Avery Bradley to make his first seven shots and score a career-high 23 points.

"I could have scored those layups. I'm being serious," Wittman said. "I mean, we didn't have anybody guarding him. When I was a player, if you gave me four layups to start the game, I'd have a pretty good groove on to make some jump shots. He ought to send us a postcard of 'Thank you' or something."

Washington had 12 first-quarter points for its lowest total through one period all season. The Wizards made 3 of 22 shots in the first 12 minutes and trailed by as many as 25 points before halftime.

Monroe will play for the second time as a professional at the Verizon Center, where he starred in college at Georgetown. He had 22 points and 14 boards in a 107-105 loss there April 5, 2011.

Stuckey's late jumper lifts Pistons over Wizards

By HOWARD FENDRICH
Posted Mar 26 2012 11:12PM

WASHINGTON (AP) With three minutes left in a game Pistons coach Lawrence Frank called "ugly, grimy, grindy" - and his team won, beating the Washington Wizards 79-77 - the aesthetic highlight, without a doubt, came when Detroit rookie Brandon Knight got drenched while hurdling over the team's sideline seats in futile pursuit of a loose ball.

Knight upended a jug of energy drink and about a dozen paper cups Monday night, spraying himself and some seated teammates. Play was delayed for a bit while Knight toweled off - and some of the evening's most enthusiastic applause came in response to overhead video-board replays of his valiant and athletic effort.

"I just got up drenched," Knight said. "I felt like I was sweating a lot."

Yes, given the utter lack of good basketball displayed by two lottery-bound teams, Knight gave the Pistons a needed nudge, and Rodney Stuckey gave them the winning 20-foot jumper with 0.2 seconds left. Stuckey scored half of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, and the Pistons erased a 13-point deficit to end a five-game losing streak.

"Brandon's hustle play was a momentum-changing play. Guy took a shower during the game, and that doesn't happen a lot," Frank said. "I thought that really pumped our guys up."

It came during a game-changing run, as Detroit managed to win despite being held below 80 points for the third game in a row; that last happened to the Pistons in December 2003.

Greg Monroe, who played home games on the Wizards' court while at Georgetown, had 10 points and 10 rebounds, including a putback off a miss by Tayshaun Prince with 23 seconds remaining to put Detroit ahead 76-75. After Detroit's Ben Wallace made one free throw, Washington's Nene tied it at 77 on a hook shot with 5.8 seconds to go.

That left enough time for Stuckey - who missed the past three games with a sore big left toe - to get up court and step back for the decisive shot that capped a comeback against the no-lead-is-safe Wizards. This was the third consecutive home game in which Washington was ahead by more than 10 points in the second half before losing.

"Carbon copy of the last two here," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "If you keep running into the same guy, and he keeps punching you in the face, you're going to learn to get your hands up, aren't you? This is three straight times."

Jordan Crawford led Washington with 20 points, and John Wall had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. But Wall also went scoreless in the fourth quarter, and missed a chance to help Washington with the ball in his hands late - just as in the previous two home defeats.

This time, Washington scored the second half's initial eight points to lead 43-30. And while Washington lost its previous two home games despite leading one by 22 and the other by 16, those were against playoff-bound Indiana and Atlanta.

This was against Detroit, which like Washington is headed for the draft lottery.

Neither team has a chance of making the playoffs: Detroit is 17-32 and last in the Central Division, while the Wizards came in 11-38 and the only reason they weren't last in the Southeast Division is that Charlotte resides there.

And they played like it.

The Pistons shot 28 of 76 (36.8 percent) in the game and accumulated more turnovers (13) than buckets (10) in the first half.

"The NBA called," Frank said. "They were about to throw both of us out of the building."

It didn't help Washington that it was playing its third game in three nights, the team's first of those rough stretches the NBA worked into the schedule in order to help it cram in 66 games after the lockout-shortened the calendar.

The Wizards, who have lost four in a row overall, took their sizable lead despite starting the game 0 for 10 on 3-point tries. That drought ended, surprisingly enough, when Wall made one; the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft was 2 for 27 from beyond the arc this season until then.

The first quarter was about as ugly as professional basketball gets. The Pistons missed their first six field goal attempts and finally made one on Stuckey's end-to-end layup at the 7:13 mark.

"The first half," Stuckey said, "was horrible on both sides."

Detroit wound up 5 for 19 in the quarter - 26.3 percent.

The Wizards weren't much better, though, making 7 of 21 shots - 33.3 percent - and trailed 16-14.

Yes, 30 total points for both teams after a full quarter of NBA action.

Fan-tastic!

The quality of play didn't really improve in the second quarter. There were air balls. Passes thrown into the crowd. Finger rolls that rolled off the rim.

At halftime, Washington led 35-30, matching Detroit's lowest output for a half this season.

NOTES: The Wizards were without F Trevor Booker because of right knee tendinitis. ... Washington won the teams' first meeting this season by 21 points on Feb. 12. ... Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps was in a courtside seat near the Wizards' bench.

Notebook: Pistons 79, Wizards 77

Posted Monday March 26, 2012 11:45PM

By Rich Dubroff, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Rodney Stuckey hit a 20-foot jumper with 0.2 of a second remaining to give the Detroit Pistons a 79-77 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

The Wizards led by 67-55 early in the fourth quarter, but the Pistons outscored them 24-10 to break their five-game losing streak.

Stuckey had 24 points -- 12 of them in the fourth quarter. Tayshaun Prince had 18. Greg Monroe had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jonas Jerebko had nine points and tied a season-high with 12 rebounds.

Jordan Crawford had 20 points for Washington. John Wall had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter as the Wizards lost their fourth in a row -- and their third in as many nights.

QUOTABLE: "In the first half the NBA called, they were about to throw both of us out of the building."
-- Detroit head coach Lawrence Frank on the first half when the Pistons trailed 35-30.

THE STAT: The Pistons scored under 80 points for the third straight game. It was the first time they scored under 80 in three straight games since Dec. 12-19, 2003 according to STATS LLC.

TURNING POINT: Stuckey hit a 3-pointer with 55.9 seconds left to give Detroit a 74-73 lead, its first of the second half.

QUOTABLE II: "The first half was horrible on both sides-both teams. It was pretty much just ugly basketball."
-- Stuckey on the first half.

HOT: Washington's Kevin Seraphin had 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Seraphin has been playing more since the trade of JaVale McGee.

NOT: The Pistons' Brandon Knight missed 10 of 13 field goals, but made the play of the night when he leaped over his bench late in the fourth quarter and landed by the bucket that holds Gatorade.

"Brandon's hustle play was a momentum changing play. Guy took a shower during the game, and that doesn't happen a lot. I thought that really pumped our guys up," Frank said.

GOOD MOVE: When Jason Maxiell didn't play well, Frank played Jerebko, and he gave Detroit lots of energy.

BAD MOVE: With Trevor Booker missing because of tendinitis in his right knee, Washington head coach Randy Wittman started Chris Singleton. He missed all five of his field goal attempts.

NOTABLE: Stuckey hit the game-winner despite missing the previous three games with a sore left big toe.

IN THE ARENA: Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps received loud applause when he was introduced to the crowd in the first half.

UP NEXT: For the Pistons: Wednesday @ Cavaliers, Friday @ Bulls, Saturday vs.Bobcats. For the Wizards: Thursday @ Pacers, Friday vs. Sixers, Sunday @ Raptors

• Pistons: Macklin
• Wizards: Blatche, Lewis

• Pistons: Frank
• Wizards: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #32 Eddie F. Rush, #16 David Guthrie, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 15911
• Duration: 2:27