By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Detroit Pistons got the better of the Washington Wizards, 129-117, during the NBA’s battle of the bottom Eastern Conference teams last January 16, 2024.
Despite missing superstar Cade Cunningham and veteran swingman scorer Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons were able to find a way to pull off the much-needed win and break their seven-game losing streak.
Alec Burks, Detroit’s no. 1 reliable scorer off the bench, carried the team offensively and torched the Wizards with 34 big points built from an efficient 11/17 shooting from the field.
As soon as Burks went in, Detroit’s inconsistent scoring suddenly changed and was the sole reason why they were able to go toe-to-toe with Washington’s high-octane offense.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair in the first three frames as both squads figured in a mano-a-mano shootout. When Detroit started to clinch the momentum, Washington was quick to catch up after draining several bombs from the three-point line.
Just when Washington thought they could repeat their come-from-behind wins during the past NBA week, the Pistons made sure they’ll come out with a devised strategy to cool down the Wizards.
Detroit kicked off their fourth-quarter burst after putting up a defensive clinic on the perimeter. After that sequence, the Pistons went on a 9-0 run that turned the tides of the Eastern Conference clash.
The Pistons then held a 92-87 lead after that quick 9-0 scoring run and ballooned their cushion to as much as 15 points.
Washington tried to claw their way back in the match but superstar Kyle Kuzma’s disappearance in the final 2:37 of the game hurt them offensively.
Kuzma was tossed out of the playing court after receiving his second technical foul call. After his ejection, the Pistons took care of business and comfortably took the huge win.
Aside from Burks’ stellar shooting performance, Detroit also had a dominant double-double performance from Jalen Duren who finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds, and four assists.
