NBA Preview from The Sports Network
Saturday, December 22nd
(All times eastern)
Detroit Pistons (8-21) at Washington Wizards (3-21), 7 p.m.
(Sports Network) - The Detroit Pistons will try to win back-to-back games for
only the second time this season when they visit the lowly Washington Wizards
on Saturday in the finale of a home-and-home series.
The 8-21 Pistons ended a six-game skid with Friday's rout of the Wizards in
the Motor City. Greg Monroe led five Detroit players in double-figures with 15
points and he also grabbed nine rebounds to lead Detroit to a 100-68 wire-to-
wire win over the Wizards.
Detroit is just 3-10 since posting consecutive victories from Nov. 26-28, but
the Pistons hope to build off Friday's dominating victory when they visit D.C.
on Saturday.
Brandon Knight also dropped in 15 on Friday and Andre Drummond had 11 points
and career-highs with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Pistons.
Rodney Stuckey had 11 points and Kyle Singler added 10 in the win.
"He's done a great job of coming in and playing with a lot of energy, doing
what the coaches ask him to do," Monroe said of Drummond. "He controlled the
boards and he controlled the paint. He's only going to get better, but I'm not
surprised with anything he's doing right now."
Detroit's 100-68 victory marked the first time the Pistons had held an
opponent under 70 points in a game since beating Miami 85-69 on March 27,
2008.
Stuckey left the game after taking an elbow to the mouth and did not return.
He is questionable for Saturday's tilt.
The Wizards, meanwhile, have the fewest wins in the NBA this season with their
3-21 record and they lost for the sixth straight time in Friday's home-and-
home opener. It was their eighth setback in nine outings and dropped the club
to 1-12 on the road this season.
"That was an embarrassment, and I apologize to our ownership and to our fans,"
Washington head coach Randy Wittman said. "I especially apologize to anyone
who watched that entire game. I would have turned it off after the first five
minutes."
Jordan Crawford scored a game-high 20 points while Martell Webster and Kevin
Seraphin scored 10 apiece for the Wizards.
Detroit defeated the Wizards in two of three meetings last season and has
claimed 10 of 12 overall in this series. The Pistons, who are just 2-13 on the
road this season, have taken four of their last five contests in D.C.
12/22 10:34:10 ET

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