After a physical and emotionally draining game at home on Friday night, the Pistons had to go on the road to face the Washington Wizards to finish off a grueling back-to-back.
It was apparent in the first few minutes of the game that the Pistons were going to be challenged to stay in the game. It was more apparent in the third quarter, when the Wizards had a 30-point lead and were on the way to a laugher.
The Pistons got their own laugh — but not the last one. They trimmed the lead to three early in the fourth quarter, but they didn’t have enough to finish the job, falling to the Wizards, 106-92, on Saturday night at Capital One Arena.
In the fourth quarter, after their rally to close within three points, the Pistons (12-33) gave up a 19-4 Wizards run, keyed by Russell Westbrook, who had a triple-double with 19 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.
Rui Hachimura (14 points) hit a jumper at the 9:09 mark to start the decisive streak and Westbrook scored on a lay-in. Hachimura had six more points during the run and the Wizards extended the margin to 99-83 with 3:45 left, averting the Pistons’ huge comeback.
Wayne Ellington was the engine of the Pistons’ 32-11 breakout in the third quarter. He had three 3-pointers in just over a minute of game time and he finished with four 3-pointers in the quarter. A three-point play by Daniel Gafford (13 points) ended the big run and the Wizards (16-28) led, 79-73, entering the fourth quarter.
