The two worst teams in the Eastern Conference after a month of competition met tonight to do battle. And as one might expect, the match was not marked by its intensity or its genius actions. In a complicated context, it was still the Wizards who had the best on the Detroit floor.
Without forcing too much, the Wizards did what was necessary to take control of the game in the first half, with a boost from Danilo Gallinari and Landry Shamet at the end of the first quarter to take the lead (27-31) . The Italian was the main architect of the 11-3 past by DC with two baskets from distance to create the first gap of the match (31-40). Opposite, the Cunningham-Thompson duo did their best to try to keep the Pistons in the game until break time (54-57).
From the great Kyle Kuzma
Monty Williams’ troops finally cracked from the restart, unable to contain Kyle Kuzma, author of 20 of the 37 points scored by Washington in the third quarter. The interior notably passed 8 points in a row before continuing with a 2+1 and a basket on the counter-attack to increase the gap to +14 (72-86) then conclude its festival with a shot at 3- points to complete the period (83-94).
Deni Avdija’s 2+1, Danilo Gallinari’s new basket, Landry Shamet’s lay-up and Bilal Coulibaly’s dazzling counterattack quickly allowed the Wizards to make the hole (85-103). Enough to ensure an end to the match without suspense, even if Wes Unseld Jr left Kyle Kuzma on the field to ensure until two minutes from the end. Winners 126-107, the Wizards leave the Pistons alone in last place in the Eastern Conference.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Hello from Kyle Kuzma. The native of Flint (Michigan) always takes pleasure in shining on his home turf and the match of the night was no exception to the rule. Author of 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, the interior was the only master aboard the Wizards’ boat, tilting the game after the break practically single-handedly, with baskets that put the Pistons’ lead under water for good.
– Detroit is where it belongs. As can be the case in meetings between two of the worst teams in the league, the opposition sometimes turned into ridicule, and in this register, the Pistons did not give their share to the dog. The youth, not to say the inexperience, of Monty Williams’ men has shown itself on numerous occasions in terms of haste, a succession of bad choices and resignation in the end. One example, among many others, to illustrate this took place at the end of the third quarter. While Kyle Kuzma had just planted a new 3-pointer 1.2 seconds from the buzzer, Ausar Thompson rushed to send a “touchdown pass” which ended up… in touch, thus offering the throw-in to Washington, under the Pistons circle! Many sequences looked like this one, not to be shown in basketball schools… At the end, Detroit is in its place at the bottom of the Eastern Conference hierarchy with a 14th defeat in a row.
– The “French Corner”. It was one of the only interests of the match, and there too the confrontation between the two Frenchmen Bilal Coulibaly and Killian Hayes disappointed. The first had a difficult match but managed to stand out with his long segments and his overall activity on both sides of the floor. His stat line is clearly not crazy, but his +19 +/-, the highest on his team, says a lot about the importance he can have for Wes Unseld Jr when he is on the field . Regarding Killian Hayes, we don’t know if it’s his shoulder injury which continues to bother him or his replacement off the bench which is blocking him. Still, we no longer find the sharp Killian Hayes from the start of the season, but more the Killian who is looking for his first years in the NBA. Monty Williams had assured that his demotion in favor of Jaden Ivey should not be taken as a punishment, but for the moment it seems like one… And above all, it has not changed the dynamic of the team, which is therefore 14 defeats in a row.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
