Pistons-Wizards Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 21 2012 11:53PM

The Detroit Pistons had not beaten a team other than Cleveland in three weeks until getting a visit from the woeful Washington Wizards, who were blasted by their coach after another embarrassing defeat.

Detroit looks to sweep the home-and-home set Saturday night by sending Washington to a seventh consecutive loss and winning for the fifth time in six trips to the nation's capital.

The Pistons (8-21) crushed Phoenix 117-77 at home on Nov. 28 before dropping 10 of their next 12 contests, beating only the Cavaliers on Dec. 3 and Dec. 8.

That victory over the Suns followed a win against Portland on Nov. 26 and marked the only time Detroit has won consecutive games this season. It can do so again Saturday after Friday's 100-68 win over the Wizards (3-21).

Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight scored 15 points each while Andre Drummond added 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds off the bench.

"Greg is such a skilled guy that he's able not just to score, but he's able to find open teammates, plus put the ball on the floor and create some advantage situations," coach Lawrence Frank told the team's official website. "He was good."

Monroe, who played his collegiate home games for Georgetown at the Verizon Center, also added nine rebounds to help the Pistons end a six-game losing streak. It marked the first time they held an opponent to less than 70 points since an 85-69 win over Miami on March 27, 2008.

"We can't get too high right now," Monroe said. "We have to figure out what we have to clean up."

Detroit now will look to improve on its 2-13 road record against these same Wizards after coach Randy Wittman's rant following Friday's rout.

It marked their second loss by at least 30 points in the last week after falling 102-72 at Miami last Saturday.

"That was an embarrassment, and I apologize to our ownership and to our fans," Wittman said. "I especially apologize to anyone who watched that entire game. I would have turned it off after the first five minutes."

Jordan Crawford scored a game-high 20 points for Washington, which had only nine available players because of injuries. Rookie Bradley Beal missed a second straight game with a sore lower back.

"This was a situation where we had some key guys out, which meant our other guys had a chance to step up and prove that they belong in the NBA," Wittman said. "That didn't happen. We may only have nine guys, but I need to find five of them who are willing to show me that they deserve to be here."

Emeka Okafor added eight points for the Wizards, who haven't won since beating New Orleans 77-70 on Dec. 11. They've also dropped 11 of the last 13 meetings with Detroit.

"It's not fun when these games happen, but they haven't happened too often with this team," Okafor said. "You try to fight against it, but the more you fight, the more you feel like you are in quicksand."

Detroit's Rodney Stuckey was hit in the mouth in the fourth quarter and did not return. Frank said he expects Stuckey to travel with the team but didn't elaborate on his status for Saturday's game.

Pistons beat Wizards again 96-87

Posted Dec 22 2012 11:15PM

WASHINGTON (AP) The Detroit Pistons got the most out of playing the Washington Wizards in a home-and-home series.

On Saturday night, they won their second in as many nights, both over the woeful Wizards.

Charlie Villanueva tied a season high with 19 points, Rodney Stuckey added 18 and the Pistons beat the Wizards, 96-87.

It was only the second time this season that Detroit has won two straight.

The Wizards, who trailed throughout the game, have lost seven straight and dropped to an NBA-worst 3-22.

It got so bad for Washington that coach Randy Wittman said that he had intentionally got a technical foul midway through the first quarter with his team in the midst of missing 14 of its first 15 shots.

He was hoping for a second, which would mean getting ejected from the game.

"I've been trying to get thrown out for a while. These guys won't even throw me out," Wittman said.

Had he been spared the rest of the game, Wittman would have missed Detroit grabbing 58 rebounds for the second straight night.

"It's just the effort we're giving," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said.

The Wizards closed to 88-81 with 6:15 to play, but didn't score for nearly four minutes as Detroit built a 94-81 lead with 2:55 to play.

Jordan Crawford, who scored his only point of the first half with 1:05 to play, scored 20 in the second half to lead Washington with 21. Emeka Okafor had 14 points and tied a season high with 14 rebounds.

After the Pistons beat the Wizards by 32 on Friday night, Wittman called their performance embarrassing. A day later, he said: "We went through the motions."

He said he couldn't fault his team's effort in the follow-up game.

"Our ball movement and passing was much better," Wittman said.

Detroit had lost six straight before the consecutive wins over the Wizards. The Pistons are just 3-13 on the road.

"We just got to continue to build our habits. It's obviously good to taste wins especially when we've lost a bunch in a row," Frank said.

Detroit has three days off before playing at Atlanta on Wednesday.

"It was very important for us to get these two wins and hopefully we carry that momentum into the next game. We need to keep playing the way we've been playing as far as locking down on the defensive end and rebounding the ball, we've been doing that well these past couple games," Villanueva said.

The Pistons weren't terrific, but they didn't make any major errors.

Washington made one in the first quarter. Kevin Seraphin was alone by the basket, and instead of an easy layup, he tried a reverse dunk - and the ball spun out.

Washington shot just 17.4 percent (4 for 23) in the first quarter and trailed 22-13. Detroit shot 36 percent.

"The last two games were embarrassing. There's no word better than that," Nene said.

With the Wizards off for the next three days, Wittman started Nene for the first time this season. Nene has missed 12 of Washington's 25 games with a left foot injury.

The Wizards' Cartier Martin helped cut the lead to seven, but a few moments later, Detroit hit three straight 3-pointers for a 39-22 lead and the Pistons led at halftime 54-35.

In the second half, Detroit built its largest lead, 59-37 a little more than two minutes into the third quarter, but Tayshaun Prince sprained his right ankle in a collision, left the game and did not return.

"We'll know more in the next couple of days but right now I think we're labeling it as a sprain," Frank said.

Washington ran off 10 straight to get within 59-47 with 7:08 to play, got within six with just about four minutes remaining in the quarter and trailed 74-64 after three.

Villanueva had seven points in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter as the Pistons held off Washington.

"Playing a team back to back is very difficult, especially the way we won (Friday) night," Villanueva said. "We knew they were going to come out and give us all they had. Give them credit, they made their run, but we stayed poised and made the plays and got the stops that we needed."

Notes: Pistons rookie F Andre Drummond had 25 rebounds in the two games against Washington. ... Detroit F Corey Maggette was inactive for the second straight game. ... Washington G John Wall, who's missed all season with an injured left knee, has started running on the court, Wittman said. ... Wizards G Bradley Beal, who missed the previous two games with an injured back, returned and scored 14 points.

Notebook: Pistons 96, Wizards 87

Rich Dubroff, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:53 PM - Updated Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:53 PM

THE FACTS: Charlie Villanueva tied a season-high with 19 points, Rodney Stuckey scored 18 and Greg Monroe added 13 as the Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards for the second straight night, 96-87, on Saturday.

Detroit (9-21) led throughout the game, quickly built a 14-point first quarter lead and never allowed to get closer than seven in the fourth quarter. Jordan Crawford led Washington, which lost for the seventh straight time, with 21 points. Emeka Okafor had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Bradley Beal also had 14 for the Wizards, who are a league-worst 3-22.

QUOTABLE: "I've been trying to get thrown out for a while. These guys won't even throw me out."

-- Washington coach Randy Wittman on intentionally drawing a technical in the first quarter with his team already behind

THE STAT: For the second straight night, the Pistons tied a season-high with 58 rebounds.

TURNING POINT: The Wizards missed 14 of their first 15 shots, and never seriously challenged.

QUOTABLE II: "You want an elbow in your mouth→ That's not a good Christmas gift."

--Detroit coach Lawrence Frank on rookie Andre Drummond's physicality on the boards in accruing 25 rebounds against Washington in the past two nights

HOT: Villanueva, who had been averaging 6.8 points, was 8-for-13 from the field

NOT: Crawford was just 4-for-13 from the field, and had just one point in the first half.

GOOD MOVE: Detroit coach Frank pairing Villanueva and Stuckey off the bench. Detroit's bench outscored the Wizards 52-24. "Charlie's a professional scorer," Frank said.

BAD MOVE: Washington's Kevin Seraphin was alone near the basket in the first quarter, had an easy layup, but tried a reverse dunk instead. It missed.

NOTABLE: The Pistons won consecutive games for just the second time this season..

IN THE ARENA: The Wizards' sideline host "Big Tigger" said goodbye to the crowd. Big Tigger, a longtime Washington disc jockey, who implored fans to: "Stand until we score," has accepted a job at an Atlanta radio station.

NEXT: For the Pistons, Wednesday @Hawks: Friday vs. Heat, Dec. 30 vs. Bucks. For the Wizards, Wednesday vs. Cavaliers, Friday vs. Magic, Saturday @ Bulls.

• Pistons: Maggette, Middleton
• Wizards: Booker, Wall

• Pistons: --
• Wizards: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #28 Zach Zarba, #70 Brent Barnaky, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 13104
• Duration: 2:14