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Breaking Down The Wizards’ Loss To The Pistons

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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: Bub Carrington #7 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Detroit Pistons on March 17, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Washington Wizards lost to the Detroit Pistons last night, 130-117. Let’s take a step back from the emotion (negative or … very negative) about the loss and look at the numbers. Kevin Broom is traveling this week, so you have to deal with me again.

Four Factors

TeameFG%TOV%ORB%FTr
Pistons57.20%11.10%36.40%0.356
Wizards58.60%12.80%17.10%0.218

The pros

  • Washington actually had the better effective field goal percentage, just like Monday against the Golden State Warriors. There’s no guarantee that a team will win when it has the better eFG% of course, but it’s encouraging that the offense is showing signs of life.
  • Bub Carrington’s 30 point night — The output was great, but he also shot 12-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from the three point line. I’m not going to compalin about that.
  • Three point shooting — The Wizards made 16-of-37 threes which boosted their eFG% as mentioned before.

The cons

  • Free throw disparity — The Wizards attempted 19 free throws, but the Pistons attempted 32. Considering that both teams committed 23 personal fouls each, this contributed to why this game was out of reach. Furthermore, while Carrington scored 30 points, he also attempted NO free throws.
  • Rebounding disparity — Washington was behind, 50-35 on the boards. This proved to be the difference maker in a game where Washington otherwise had a solid night on offense.
  • Jalen Duren’s monster double double night — Well, he didn’t score 83 like Bam Adebayo. But Duren scored 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Yes, Duren averages nearly 20 points and 11 rebounds a game. But Washington still let him have a field day though Anthony Gill at least tried to make Duren work for those points.

The Wizards play this same Pistons team on Thursday night. Hopefully … the score is closer and we won’t see Washington get closer to a franchise record losing streak. Or worse — get toward the NBA’s record losing streak of 28 games, which the Pistons (yes, the Pistons) did just two seasons ago, or the Philadelphia 76ers from the end of the 2014-15 through 2015-16 seasons.

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