Detroit Pistons 118-104 collapse to Wizards confirms issues far deeper than early injuries
It took 45 games, but the Detroit Pistons are finally, fully healthy.
Cade Cunningham returned from an eight-game absence Saturday, in time for their noon matinee against the Washington Wizards at Little Caesars Arena, and a chance to win two straight games for the second time this season after Wednesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Following Monte Morris’ season debut Thursday, it was the first time this season the Pistons had a clean injury report.
It wasn't accompanied with a win.
Turnovers were costly for the Pistons during their 118-104 loss to the Wizards. They committed 17 — their highest total since Jan. 9 — off of which Washington scored 21 points. Cunningham showed rust, as he was responsible for seven of them. He also tallied 20 points and 12 assists. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 30 points.
It was already clear that the Pistons' issues this season went far deeper than their health issues. Saturday all but confirmed it, as a seven (now eight)-win Wizards team came to their house and won by double digits for the second time this season.
The fourth quarter was Detroit's worst, as they were outscored 31-18 and shot just 6-of-21 from the floor. A 3-pointer from Flint native Kyle Kuzma with just under three minutes to play extended the Wizards' lead to 10, 111-101, and put the Pistons away for good.
It was the second time the two teams faced each other since they were involved in a trade that brought Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari to Detroit on Jan. 14. But it was the first time the players involved faced their old teams, as the first game was a day after the trade, before they passed their physicals.
Former Pistons Marvin Bagley III checked in toward the end of the first half and finished with 13 poitns and eight rebounds. Isaiah Livers did not play.
The Pistons appeared to be on pace for an easy victory, taking a 28-16 lead with four minutes remaining in the first period. They hit nine of their first 10 shots, including three 3-pointers, to open the game.
Then the second unit checked in, and Detroit’s momentum grinded to a halt. Washington closed the quarter with a 20-5 run, and Michigan alumnus Jordan Poole hit a 3 in the closing seconds to give his team the lead, 36-33.
The game was never the same for the Pistons, who entered halftime with a 63-61 halftime lead but were outscored in both the third and fourth quarters.
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In return, Cunningham spearheads turnover woes
Cunningham’s return, unfortunately, brought back old problems for the Pistons. He was responsible for five of their 10 turnovers in the first half — their highest since Jan. 12, and second time hitting double figures since Dec. 21.
As a point of reference, they turned the ball over 10 times in the first half in three of their first four games of the season. Also, they had just five first-half turnovers in three of their last four games. Most of the turnovers resulted from bad passes, rather than from defensive plays by the Wizards.
Monty Williams listed improved ball control among the reasons why the Pistons have improved offensively since the trade (ninth in the NBA in offensive rating at 119.3, in five games) during his pregame media session Saturday. He forgot to knock on wood.
Cunningham led the NBA in turnovers through the early portion of the season, but entered Saturday in a three-way tie with LaMelo Ball and Darius Garland at third. Since Dec. 2, he’s averaging 2.9 per game — 18th in the league in that span. In his first 19 games, he averaged 4.5.
The third-year guard, Saturday aside, has improved substantially this season, giving him some benefit of the doubt in his first basketball game in nearly three weeks.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons 118-104 collapse to Wizards confirms issues run deep
