The Wizards (24-26) have won six-straight games and are playing their best basketball of the season. Wednesday night, they head to Detroit to close out their five-game road trip with a showdown against the Pistons (13-39). Here's everything you need to know.
WHERE: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, MI)
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Washington
RADIO: The Team 980 & The Wizards App
INJURY REPORT:
WIZARDS:
Anthony Gill (health and safety protocols -- out)
Daniel Gafford (non-COVID illness -- questionable)
PISTONS:
Marvin Bagley III (right hand; metacarpal fractures -- out)
Cade Cunningham (left tibia; stress fracture -- out)
Hamidou Diallo (non-COVID illness -- probable)
Corey Joseph (low back soreness -- out)
DENI AVDIJA ASCENDING
Deni Avdija is making the leap. The third-year forward out of Israel is putting together all the parts of his game, combining his elite perimeter defense with a dynamic offensive attack.
Monday night in San Antonio, Avdija had the most impressive game of his young NBA journey, dropping a career-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc while adding nine rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in 33 minutes of action. That's only a continuation of what he's been doing over a stretch of contests.
Over the last four games, Avdija is averaging 16.3 points on .579/.400/.739 shooting splits to go along with 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.3 STOCKS (steals + blocks). Those numbers shatter his career averages, and his recent play has his teammates excited.
"He's been heading towards this," said Kristaps Porzingis after Avdija's career-best game in San Antonio. "Things are working for him. He's figuring out his game, like where he's good at, and I love to see it for him. I'm so excited... His energy is contagious for us, and whenever he's hooping, we're a different team."
DEFENDING THE THREE-POINT LINE
All season long, the Wizards have been one of the best teams in the league at defending the three-point line, allowing only 11.5 makes per game, good for fifth in the association. Over the course of their six-game winning streak, they've been even better. In fact, they've been the best team in the league in 3-point defense, allowing only 8.5 makes per game. Here are the opponent 3-point shooting numbers over the last six games:
- Knicks: 7-of-26
- Magic: 14-of-34
- Mavericks: 10-of-30
- Rockets: 5-of-28
- Pelicans: 8-of-29
- Spurs: 7-of-29
The NBA is a make or miss league, meaning sometimes teams get hot and there's not much you can do about it. But by and large, opponents shooting poorly against you from deep isn't a fluke. The Wizards have done an incredible job of matching up with shooters in transition, making timely rotations in the halfcourt, and running guys off the 3-point line. If they can keep up this level of 3-point defense, they'll be in a good position to keep winning games.
BATTLE FOR BOARDS
The Pistons are tenacious on the offensive glass. They're in the top-half of the league in both offensive rebounds (11.0 per game) and second-chance points (15.0 per game). Conversely, the Pistons aren't a great defensive rebounding team. They allow 11.0 offensive rebounds per game and 14.9 second-chance points, good for 22nd and 29th in the league, respectively. Don't be surprised if this game is won on the glass. Whichever team does a better job of boxing out, grabbing defensive rebounds, and controlling the boards will have a big advantage in this one.