Wizards head to Motor City to battle Pistons

addByline("Jeremy Hyman", "WashingtonWizards.com", "JeremyHyman");

The road trip moves to the Motor City tonight as the Wizards look to bounce back against the Pistons.

Game Info

Little Caesars Arena | 8:00 p.m. | NBCSW+/ESPN | 1500 AM

Probable Starters

Wizards (25-20): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Pistons (22-21): G - Smith, G - Bradley, F - Bullock, F - Harris, C - Drummond

Wizards: Sheldon Mac (Achilles - Out)

Pistons: Reggie Jackson (Ankle - Out), Jon Leuer (Ankle - Out), Avery Bradley (Adductor Strain - Questionable), Stanley Johnson (Hip - Questionable), Luke Kennard (Thumb - Questionable)

Storylines

After giving up 133 points in Wednesday's loss in Charlotte, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said afterwards that he needed to find guys that would compete and that changes could be coming if this trend continued. This doesn't necessarily mean there will be a different starting lineup or a different rotation tonight, but the message was sent and if the team continues to struggle, there may be changes coming soon. The Wizards gave up 77 points in the first half on Wednesday, a season-high and a franchise high for Charlotte. The 133 points given up were also a season-high for points allowed and it was the 16th straight game the Wiz have allowed a team to score over 100 points. Following a four-game win streak around the new year, the Wiz have lost four out of six, but will look to turn things around when they get a struggling Pistons team tonight in Detroit.

Tonight will be the Wizards first time ever in Detroit's new Little Caesars Arena, located in downtown Detroit. The Pistons had previously played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, which is about 30 miles north of Detroit. The Pistons are 13-6 at home this season and tonight is the first game of a four-game homestand.

The Pistons will be without one of their best offensive talents in Reggie Jackson as he continues to miss time with an ankle injury. They could also be without their other starting guard, Avery Bradley, as he's questionable for tonight's game with an adductor strain. With Luke Kennard also questionable, they could be very thin in the backcourt and rely heavily on Ish Smith and Langston Galloway. Detroit does have two All-Star caliber players in the frontcourt in Andre Drummond and Tobias Harris, so look for the two of them to be even more aggressive tonight with the team banged up.

The Wizards have already beaten the Pistons twice this season, both of them coming in D.C. After a close win early in the season, the last time they played the Wiz blew them out, 109-91 back on December 1st. Keef Morris led the team with 23 points and Tomas Satoransky added a career-high 17 off the bench as the Wizards used a 35-15 third quarter to help blow past the Pistons. The Wiz are 9-3 against Detroit over the last four years and have won a game in Detroit in three of the last four seasons. The two teams will play for the fourth and final time on March 29th in Detroit.

Up next, the Wizards head to Dallas to play the Mavs on Monday night. (8:30 p.m.)