The Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 133-119 on Monday night. Here are five takeaways from what went down...
1. The Wizards may not win very many games this season, but they own the Detroit Pistons. Well, at least when they are missing both Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
The Wizards beat the Pistons for the second time this season, each time when Detroit was missing their two starting big men. Last time they won by 16, his time it was 14.
It was a much-needed win for the Wizards, who had lost seven of eight coming in. In case you're wondering, they play the Pistons next on Dec. 26. They will also see them on Jan. 20.
2. The Wizards got out to an insanely hot start in this one. They dropped 43 points in the first quarter and shot an absurd 17-for-21 from the field. And they got those 43 points despite making only three threes.
The Pistons were doing some selling out to defend the perimeter, but also the Wizards had incentive to attack the rim with both Drummond and Griffin out due to injury. Bradley Beal had 15 points and six assists in the first quarter alone, as he attacked the paint and the midrange at will.
Beal finished with 35 points and 10 dimes. He would have had more if the Pistons didn't start throwing double teams at him.
3. With Drummond and Griffin both out, that meant more run for former Wizards big man Markieff Morris and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Morris made sure he got his with 22 points and five rebounds. There were a few plays where he could have passed to an open teammate, but instead attacked the rim with determination, as if he had something to prove.
Morris didn't get the win, but if having a good game against his former team was the goal, he achieved it.
4. Now that Morris is on another team, perhaps it was only a matter of time before he started beef with someone on the Wizards. Turns out Davis Bertans is the guy.
In the fourth quarter, Morris threw Bertans to the ground while boxing out. Bertans got up and in his face and afterward the NBC Sports Washington cameras showed them exchanging words.
Based on lip reading, it looked like Bertans used some words that Morris would not appreciate. Wizards fans know Morris well. He's from North Philly and fashions himself as a 'bout-that-life tough guy. Bertans stepping to him deserves some respect.
5. Isaiah Thomas was back after missing five games with a left calf strain and head coach Scott Brooks put him right into the starting lineup. Though Ish Smith had been playing relatively well, Thomas apparently has some security as the starter.
Really, there may not be much Smith can do at this point. Though the Wizards went 1-4 with him starting, he played better than Thomas on defense and averaged 15 points while shooting 44.4 percent from three.
To be fair, Thomas backed up the lineup decision initially with seven points and four assists in his first 10 minutes of action. He ended up with 23 points and six assists and played 26 minutes.
Though Thomas was back, Moe Wagner was out again due to his sprained left ankle. That left Ian Mahinmi to start for the second straight game and for the eighth time since he signed with the Wizards.
Speaking of injuries, we have a new one to monitor. Rookie Rui Hachimura left the game with a groin contusion after he fell to the floor on a defensive play towards the end of the first half. Basically, he got Draymond Green'd by teammate Isaac Bonga.
Hachimura hasn't missed a game since his freshman year of college. He's a durable player, so we'll see if this is enough to keep him out on Wednesday when the Wizards host the Bulls.
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