Then Detroit took over. The Pistons won the 2nd quarter 37-26 and the 3rd 35-29, and by the end of 3 they led 103-87. They got there without Jalen Duren or Isaiah Joe, and with Washington already missing Bilal Coulibaly (hand) on top of its long injury list. Detroit's lead reached 19. Washington took the 4th quarter 24-19, but that was against a team holding a big cushion on the 2nd night of a back-to-back, not a real rally.
Detroit's scoring came from everywhere. John Collins had 24 points and 10 rebounds, which matters with Duren out, since the preview said whoever handled the glass without its starting big would control the game. Duncan Robinson added 22. Davis got his numbers, but the Wizards had nobody who could match the second and third scorers Detroit kept throwing at them.
Daniss Jenkins followed his career-high 31 against the Lakers with a much fuller line: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. He went from the hot shooter of Sunday night to the guy running the offense. The box score we pulled doesn't show lines for Cade Cunningham or Kevin Huerter, the other 2 guards the preview built its Detroit case around. The 1st quarter is the clearest sign of how they played: Detroit gave up 32 and scored 31 before the guards took control in the 2nd.
Washington's problem is that 44 from Davis gets you a double-digit loss. The Wizards have now lost 4 straight. They scored 111, which is a lot better than the 75 they put up in OKC, but they couldn't get stops in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, when Detroit scored 72 points in 24 minutes. Detroit stops a 2-game home skid, and the legs that were supposed to be gone after chasing the Lakers held up fine.
Next for Washington is figuring out how to get help for Davis while Coulibaly, Vukcevic, Beekman, Champagnie and Watkins are all out. For Detroit, it's a reminder that the rotation can win without Duren as long as Collins keeps controlling the glass. The 11-point margin was about right: Detroit was clearly better, and the 4th quarter didn't really count.
