Skip to content

Wizards contain Drummond, hold on to beat Pistons

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Nene scored 18 points and Otto Porter added 17 as the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 97-95 on Saturday night.

The Wizards had the ball and a two-point lead with 9.2 seconds left, but Porter was called for a five-second violation on the inbound attempt. That gave Detroit a last chance, but Marcus Morris missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Marcin Gortat finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Ramon Sessions had 14 points and nine assists off the bench. Washington's reserves outscored Detroit's 51-15.

Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 20 points and nine assists, while Morris had 18 points and nine rebounds. Andre Drummond failed to get a double-double for the first time this season, finishing with eight points and 13 rebounds. He also didn't get an offensive rebound in 37 minutes.

Detroit took an 87-85 lead on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 3-pointer midway through the fourth, but Garrett Temple responded with one at the other end. Washington expanded the margin to 94-89 with four minutes left.

Drummond missed a 2-footer with 1:15 left, and Gortat dunked on the other end to make it 96-91. Ersan Ilyasova's follow shot made it a one-possession game, and John Wall missed in traffic.

Morris, though, missed a quick 3-pointer with 25 seconds left, forcing the Pistons to foul. Bradley Beal split a pair of free throws, and Jackson cut the deficit to 97-95 with a pair from the line.

The Pistons jumped out to a 12-4 lead, but quickly ran into a familiar problem. Playing their second game in two nights against a rested opponent, Detroit's bench quickly lost the momentum built by the starters.

Detroit's reserves went 2 for 11 in the half, getting outscored 22-5. With the Wizards dominating at both ends of the floor, Stan Van Gundy had to get the starters back into the game, but Washington had built a 14-point lead.

With the starters back on the floor, the Pistons made it 52-all at the half, and led 69-58 midway through the third quarter. Once again, though, the lead was short lived, as Washington held a 75-73 edge at quarter's end.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox