We’ll take the W but it didn’t have to be a grind like this.
It was ugly. But the Washingotn Wizards pulled off an overtime win against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, 119-116 after Kyle Kuzma made the game-winning three with 0.6 seconds left.
Washington came into tonight’s game as losers of three straight games, so it was no surprise that they found themselves behind by double digits (As much as 14) in the second quarter. After all, this is what the Wizards are known for doing and why fan confidence plummeted this week after a hot start to the regular season.
On the surface, the Wizards were actually shooting well (50 percent), but they allowed the Pistons to attempt 23 free throws in the half (and they made 22). Washington, on the other hand, could only get to the free-throw line eight times themselves, making just five of those attempts.
Sure, Bradley Beal shot 5-of-8 from the field and had 10 points but the Pistons looked sharper, especially Frank Jackson, who had 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Things turned around considerably in the third quarter when Washington took an 89-86 lead to head into the fourth quarter after shooting 58.8 percent from the field and outrebounding Detroit 11-5 in the period. While Washington led by as many as 13 points in the 4th quarter, Detroit came back to tie the score 106-all after Jerami Grant made two free throws.
In overtime, Washington never trailed but still were tied with under a minute left, setting up Kuzma’s game winner. He finished with 26 points to lead Washington while Bradley Beal added 25 points. For the Pistons, Grant led with 28 points and Cade Cunningham added 21 more.
The Wizards return home on Saturday to host the Utah Jazz. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET.