WASHINGTON _ The Detroit Pistons appeared to be in good shape at halftime against the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
But they collapsed at the start of the third quarter, yielding a 17-0 run at Capital One Arena, the key sequence in the Wizards' 109-91 victory.
The loss temporarily cools the good feelings around one the league's top stories and the Pistons (14-7) saw their winning streak end at three games.
The Pistons struggled against the Wizards, who aggressively trapped Reggie Jackson-Andre Drummond pick-and-rolls. They also attacked Drummond on the dribble handoffs that have helped to make him a more effective offensive player this season.
The Pistons were 0 for 6 from the field and committed four turnovers during the fateful stretch right after halftime.
The Wizards (12-10) also crushed the Pistons in rebounding, 49-32. The Wizards grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, which led to 19 points.
Drummond had 17 rebounds; the rest of the Pistons starters had four.
Drummond added 14 points and seven assists.
Tobias Harris scored 15 points for the Pistons.
Markieff Morris scored 23 points to lead the Wizards, who were playing without star point John Wall (knee).
Tomas Satoransky and Otto Porter Jr. scored 17 points each for the Wizards.
With his added playmaking responsibilities, Drummond is shaping up to be a triple-double threat.
Drummond forced a triple-double alert after a first quarter with three points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Pistons bench struggled and the Wizards led, 37-30, before the Pistons' starting unit fueled a 16-2 run to take a 46-39 lead late in the second quarter.
It appeared the Pistons were bailed out of a bad third quarter possession when non-3-point threat Ish Smith was fouled attempting a 3-point shot.
But he missed all three free-throw attempts and Drummond, after picking up a loose ball foul, was called for a technical foul when he rolled the ball to the official in disgust.
