AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — After the Washington Wizards started their longest trip of the season to this point with a resounding 98-77 victory over the Detroit Pistons, a team staffer went in search of the game ball. The ball rested in a chair near Nick Young’s stall in the visiting locker room, but it was being reserved for Rashard Lewis, who made the most of his 12-minute stint as he was on the floor for the stunning, game-changing 22-2 second-half run and also joined some exclusive company in the NBA record book.
An argument could be made that several players deserved a ball of their own, with JaVale McGee and Young leading the team with 22 points each and winning at the Palace of Auburn Hills for the first time in their respective careers; John Wall matching his career high with 15 assists; and rookie Jan Vesely having the best performance of his young career with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, including an emphatic swat that sent a Greg Monroe shot into the front row.
(Duane Burleson/Associated Press) - The Wizards' JaVale McGee tries to drive around Detroit's Greg Monroe.
(Duane Burleson/Associated Press) - Washington's John Wall looks to pass the ball against Detroit's Tayshuan Prince in the first half.
“We got contributions really from everybody,” Coach Randy Wittman said after the Wizards (6-22) won on the road for the just the second time this season — and ended a seven-game road losing streak to the Pistons, dating from Jan. 26, 2007.
No Wizards player who played Sunday was on the team back then, when Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler recorded a victory that gave the team the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are far removed from those days when they made postseason appearances, but Wall said the players approached Sunday’s game — against a Pistons team that also now shares a comfortable spot near the bottom the standings — with playoff-level intensity.
“These games right here, where we’re close to these teams and got the same record, these are like championship games to us, Game 7s. You’ve got to take advantage of them, and that’s what we did,” said Wall, who overcame a difficult shooting night and turnover-filled first half to lead the Wizards on a dominating run.
Through his first 21 minutes,Wall had eight assists, but also he also had six turnovers and missed his first five field goal attempts and appeared apathetic about attacking the basket. Wall collected his sixth turnover with a terrible handoff to Young that led to a fast break that ended with second-year center and former Georgetown star Monroe completing a three-point play that gave the Pistons a 61-59 lead.
An angry Wall reacted to the error by becoming more aggressive offensively and more in control while running his team. He immediately drove to the basket and was fouled as he made an acrobatic layup — his first points of the game, with about three minutes left in the third period. Wall later hit a pull-up jumper over rookie and fellow Kentucky product Brandon Knight to put the Wizards ahead, 66-61.
Guard Rodney Stuckey made two free throws to bring the Pistons (8-21) within three, but Wittman inserted Lewis and the Wizards scored the next 15 points unanswered. Wall had four points and three assists during the run, finding rookie Vesely under the basket for a dunk that gave the Wizards an 81-63 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Loading...
Comments