Coming off two home wins, the Pistons head to Washington to face a Wizards team that hasn’t overcome injuries the way they have. Just eight games into the season, new Wizards coach Flip Saunders has already started nine different players, and after a 2-1 start, Washington is winless in November (0-5).

But good news is on the way for Washington: All-Star forward Antawn Jamison and swingman Mike Miller are expected to return from respective left shoulder injuries. It would be the first time this season Saunders fielded his ideal starting lineup.

“Jamison is an All-Star player, with [Gilbert] Arenas, Caron Butler, [center Brendan] Haywood’s back,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. Jamison averaged 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds last season against the Pistons, who took three of four meetings. Butler averaged 17.5 points on 46 percent shooting.

“They’ve got a talented team, so we’ve have to do a great job of controlling the pace of the game but also make sure we do a good job of rebounding and defending every possession.”

The last time Washington’s starters were this healthy was Oct. 13, when the Wizards handed the Pistons their first loss of the preseason, 101-98. Arenas scored 24 points while Jamison and Butler combined for 27 points and 18 rebounds. “We played them in the preseason,” Kuester said. “We know how talented they are.”

In his first full season as an NBA head coach, Saunders elevated the Minnesota Timberwolves from 26 wins to 40. Nine years later when he took over the Pistons in 2005, Saunders improved a 54-win squad by 10, leading Detroit to a franchise-record 64 victories. It was that track record that set the bar high for Saunders’ first season in Washington, which cratered to 19-63 last year after injuries to key players snapped a four-year postseason streak.

Injuries – surprise, surprise – have prevented Washington’s offense from flourishing as some envisioned under Saunders, who led the Pistons to three Eastern Conference finals. The Wizards are 24th in scoring (93.1 points per game) and coming off a season-low 76 points – including just 27 after halftime – in Tuesday’s defeat at Miami.

The Pistons meanwhile have stayed afloat despite losing Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. Detroit is 3-0 at home and 0-2 on the road since both veterans exited the lineup. Kuester credited his rookies for their contributions at the small forward position and his guards for their leadership.

“We’ve just got to have other people pick it up,” he said. “Ben Gordon, [Rodney] Stuckey and [Will] Bynum have done a great job of running our team and I’m very proud of what they’ve done and accomplished.”

After an 0-4 start, I’m back to .500 with a better grasp of who these Pistons are. But Saturday is a tougher call than it looks. The Wizards should be a vastly improved team with Jamison in the lineup; they’re also playing at home and have been off since Tuesday – and we saw how much two days off benefited the Pistons in Wednesday’s rout of Charlotte.

The Pistons nonetheless have some nice momentum and should have an edge in chemistry over Washington, which still has injuries affecting its depth. With three guards nursing ailments, including sixth man Randy Foye, the Wizards signed former Eastern Michigan star Earl Boykins this week. I hope to see 5-foot-11 Will Bynum posted up the 5-6 Boykins on the block. We know Will can dunk after his exploits against the Bobcats, but does he have any low-post moves?

Pretzer’s Prediction: Pistons 92, Wizards 86
(Records: Pistons 4-4, Ryan 4-4)