Preseason: Detroit Pistons Fall To Washington Wizards In OT, 114-108

Heading into battle without their dynamic All-Star duo, the Detroit Pistons were able to force overtime against the Washington Wizards but eventually came up just short in their second preseason contest, 114-108.

Prior to the Eastern Conference exhibition matchup, the Pistons announced that All-NBA First Team point guard Cade Cunningham would be inactive for Saturday night’s game. Detroit had already decided that Jalen Duren would be sitting out the preseason tilt as well, so the Pistons embraced an opportunity to dole out minutes to a few fringe players within the organization. 

But like their preseason opener on Monday, this contest had a fair amount of fireworks when Paul Reed and Ausar Thompson tangled up with Kyshawn George and Anthony Davis in the first half, though cooler heads would prevail in that dust-up. Later in the game, Daniss Jenkins traded verbal barbs with Trae Young of the Wizards, and both players were kicked out of the game by virtue of double technical fouls. 

“That’s who we are,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “That’s Pistons Basketball. We don’t back down.”

On top of that obstacle, the Pistons had to finish the game without Thompson and Reed since both players followed out in the second half, so Detroit dug deep in their bench against a resilient Wizards team that eventually prevailed on their home court. 

Given those personnel pitfalls, the Pistons picked a bad time to have a rough shooting performance from the field, so Detroit had the added pressure of working back from a 20-point deficit after the first quarter. John Collins went 1-for-5 from the field after his fiery Pistons debut, whereas Thompson and Isaiah Joe went a combined 3-for-18 on the night and left a lot to be desired from an efficiency standpoint. 

So, how were the Pistons able to climb back in the contest and eventually force that overtime period? True to form, Detroit formed a decisive advantage in the low post by securing 23 offensive rebounds and building a 12-point edge in paint scoring. The Pistons supplemented that interior success by forcing 16 steals defensively, so the Motown hoops squad found a way to fight back and force overtime in what was eventually a narrow six-point loss. 

Chaz Lanier hit a couple big three-pointers for the Pistons in overtime, and the Pistons finally had a chance to get Elijah Harkless and John Ukomadu on the court during the preseason. As expected, Harkless brought immediate on-ball pressure and was instrumental in forcing at least three turnovers during the fourth quarter and overtime, finishing his 13-minute cameo with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. 

”It’s a great opportunity,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s what the preseason is about. These guys have been working their tails off in training camp.”

On top of those performances, Pistons rookie Ebuka Okorie had another prime opportunity for growth after his game-winner on Monday. Okorie was introduced as Detroit’s lead creator after Jenkins was ejected from the contest, and the former Stanford point guard logged a team-high 27 minutes in the game. 

With the Pistons standing at 1-1 in the preseason, the squad is still anticipating Duren’s return to the lineup. Bickerstaff still would not reveal JD’s timeline after Saturday night’s loss, but the All-Star should be back on the court sooner rather than later.