Detroit Pistons Vs. Washington Wizards Rematch Injury Report

In a rematch of Monday night’s battle, the Detroit Pistons are set to square off with the Washington Wizards for the second time in one week, though the tables have turned for this match. While the Pistons were playing on the final leg of a back-to-back during their 122-111 victory three days ago, the Wizards will be taking the floor on short rest tonight after their 13-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. 

Outside of the rest factor, the Pistons remain shorthanded with Jalen Duren out tonight as the All-Star big man rehabs his strained right hamstring. Duren has been out since the second game of the regular season, which has prompted Detroit to rotate primarily between Paul Reed and John Collins for cover at the five, but the Pistons still miss JD’s offensive contributions— especially his put-backs. 

Similarly, Pistons shooting guard Isaiah Joe is set to join Duren on the bench tonight since he’s unavailable due to lingering effects of a painful hip contusion. Originally, Joe took flight for a powerful transition jam against the Sixers in Detroit’s third regular season contest, but the sharp-shooter hit the court in a heap and left the Eastern Conference battle without returning. 

On top of those issues, the Pistons recently announced that rookie center Ugonna Onyenso is dealing with plantar fasciitis since he was out for the Motor City Cruise’s season-opening victory earlier this week, so that’s another injury that Detroit will need to manage moving forward with his day-to-day status. 

On the other side of the contest, the Wizards are set to have four absences tonight with guard Reece Beekman, forward Tristan Vukcevic, forward Justin Champagnie and guard Jamir Watkins all missing the 7 pm tip-off. 

With Washington riding a five-game losing streak, the Wizards are looking to respond with a bounce-back performance tonight against a Pistons unit that is fully rested and ready to go. After Detroit’s most recent victory, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff alluded to the fact that he could roll with either Collins or Reed at the five moving forward, but the former is expected to start tonight given the quick-start momentum that Collins helped establish so recently. 

On top of that facet, Daniss Jenkins’ inclusion in the starting lineup allowed for the Pistons to use All-NBA First-Teamer Cade Cunningham in a more versatile off-ball role without throwing off the flow of the offense. Bickerstaff has long-prioritized having multiple ball handlers on the court at once, so Jenkins ability to facilitate and hit shots has given Detroit a dangerous element to contend with when flexing to a smaller lineup.