Wizards beat Pistons in matchup of NBA’s worst teams for Keefe’s 1st win as interim coach
DETROIT (AP) Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points and Washington beat the Detroit Pistons 118-104 on Saturday in a matchup of the NBA's worst teams for Brian Keefe’s first victory in two games as the Wizards' interim coach.
Keefe lost in his debut Thursday night, hours after Wes Unseld Jr. was moved to the Wizards’ front office.
“This is obviously very cool, and the best part is the way we played defense,” Keefe said. “Two days ago, we talked about having to become a better defensive team, and we did a good job today. There’s a long way to go, but these are the habits we have to build.”
Jordan Poole added 17 points and Daniel Gafford had 15 points and 13 rebounds to help Washington end a six-game losing streak. The Wizards improved to 8-37, avenging a home loss to Detroit on Jan. 15. The Pistons are 5-40.
Kuzma, from Flint, played in front of family and friends.
“I just want to play well in front of my mom,” Kuzma said. “I always have a lot of fans here, so I get juiced to play here.”
Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 30 points. Cade Cunningham added 20 points and 12 assists in his return from a knee injury, and Jalen Duren had 10 points and 18 rebounds.
“We lacked poise and execution,” coach Monty Williams said. “There were times where we were down two or three points and it felt like 20. We weren’t doing the things we should have done.”
The Wizards led 102-98 with 5:20 left, and Poole made it a seven-point game with a 3-pointer. Detroit came up empty on its next two possessions, and Kuzma dunked to make it 107-98 with four minutes left. Bogdanovic's three-point play got Detroit within six, but Kuzma made a 3-pointer for a 111-101 lead with 2:42 to go.
“They had 16 offensive rebounds after we killed them on the boards last time,” Cunningham said. “In transition, we gave up too many layups and a part of that is live-ball turnovers. I had too many turnovers, and it is hard to come back from that.”
The Wizards had five offensive rebounds in the fourth and held Detroit to 28.6% shooting, including 0-8 from behind the arc.
“We owed these guys from last time - that wasn't a game that was up to our standards,” Kuzma said. “This is our new standard, the way we communicated on defense and how hard we worked.”
The game started at noon so Little Caesars Arena could be converted for an night hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights.
UP NEXT
Wizards: At the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
Pistons: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in a game moved up to finish before the Lions play the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Daniel Gafford vs. Jalen Duren (Cade Cunningham gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 | | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point alley-oop dunk (Cade Cunningham assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:22 |  | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:19 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | Kyle Kuzma blocks Bojan Bogdanovic's two point driving layup | ||
| 11:11 | | Jalen Duren offensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | Cade Cunningham offensive foul (Charge) (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 11:08 | | Cade Cunningham turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:57 | | Jordan Poole misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:56 | | Jordan Poole offensive rebound | ||
| 10:54 | | Tyus Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 10:38 | | Cade Cunningham turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:23 | | Tyus Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:20 | | Isaiah Stewart defensive rebound | ||
| 10:15 | | Jaden Ivey offensive foul (Charge) (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 10:15 | | Jaden Ivey turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:04 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point pullup jump shot | 3-2 |
| 9:51 | | +3 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Cade Cunningham assists) | 3-5 |
| 9:44 | | Deni Avdija misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:44 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 9:38 | | +2 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes two point running layup | 3-7 |
| 9:28 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point driving finger roll layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 5-7 |
| 9:10 | | +2 | Cade Cunningham makes two point driving dunk (Jalen Duren assists) | 5-9 |
| 8:57 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point reverse layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 7-9 |
| 8:42 | | +3 | Cade Cunningham makes three point jump shot (Jalen Duren assists) | 7-12 |
| 8:24 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point hook shot | ||
| 8:22 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 8:16 | | +3 | Jaden Ivey makes three point jump shot (Bojan Bogdanovic assists) | 7-15 |
| 7:57 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving floating jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 9-15 |
| 7:39 | | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point cutting dunk (Bojan Bogdanovic assists) | 9-17 |
| 7:39 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:26 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:25 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 7:25 | | Isaiah Stewart personal foul (Loose ball) (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 7:22 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 11-17 |
| 7:06 | | +2 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Cade Cunningham assists) | 11-19 |
| 6:51 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 14-19 |
| 6:43 | | Deni Avdija shooting foul (Cade Cunningham draws the foul) | ||
| 6:43 | | Cade Cunningham misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:43 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | +1 | Cade Cunningham makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-20 |
| 6:22 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:20 | | Cade Cunningham defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | +2 | Jaden Ivey makes two point running layup (Cade Cunningham assists) | 14-22 |
| 5:59 | | Tyus Jones misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:57 | | Isaiah Stewart defensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | Tyus Jones shooting foul (Isaiah Stewart draws the foul) | ||
| 5:45 | | +1 | Isaiah Stewart makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-23 |
| 5:45 | | +1 | Isaiah Stewart makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-24 |
| 5:29 | | Jaden Ivey blocks Bilal Coulibaly's two point driving layup | ||
| 5:27 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 5:22 | | Tyus Jones blocks Cade Cunningham's two point driving layup | ||
| 5:21 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | Cade Cunningham turnover (bad pass) (Bilal Coulibaly steals) | ||
| 4:52 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point bank hook shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 16-24 |
| 4:37 | | Bilal Coulibaly shooting foul (Bojan Bogdanovic draws the foul) | ||
| 4:37 | | +1 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-25 |
| 4:37 | | +1 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-26 |
| 4:24 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:22 | | Pistons defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | Marvin Bagley III personal foul (Loose ball) (Mike Muscala draws the foul) | ||
| 3:59 | | Alec Burks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:57 | | Isaiah Stewart offensive rebound | ||
| 3:55 | | Mike Muscala misses two point jump shot | ||
| 3:53 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 3:49 | | +2 | Ausar Thompson makes two point dunk (Mike Muscala assists) | 16-28 |
| 3:40 | | +2 | Bilal Coulibaly makes two point layup (Marvin Bagley III assists) | 18-28 |
| 3:40 | | Mike Muscala shooting foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 3:40 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 19-28 |
| 3:24 | | Deni Avdija shooting foul (Monte Morris draws the foul) | ||
| 3:24 | | Monte Morris misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:24 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 3:24 | | +1 | Monte Morris makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-29 |
| 3:11 | | Corey Kispert turnover (traveling) | ||
| 2:56 | | Alec Burks misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:54 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 2:47 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point stepback jump shot | 21-29 |
| 2:33 | | Deni Avdija blocks Monte Morris's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:32 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 2:27 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point running jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 24-29 |
| 2:26 | | Pistons 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:12 | | Killian Hayes misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:10 | | Ausar Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 2:09 | | +2 | Ausar Thompson makes two point tip layup | 24-31 |
| 1:51 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point pullup jump shot | 27-31 |
| 1:41 | | Killian Hayes turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Poole steals) | ||
| 1:36 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point running finger roll layup | 29-31 |
| 1:18 | | Monte Morris turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:10 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:09 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 1:08 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point tip dunk | 31-31 |
| 0:49 | | Alec Burks misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 0:48 | | Ausar Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 0:48 | | +2 | Ausar Thompson makes two point tip layup | 31-33 |
| 0:42 | | Ausar Thompson blocks Marvin Bagley III's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:41 | | Deni Avdija offensive rebound | ||
| 0:40 | | Monte Morris blocks Deni Avdija's two point layup | ||
| 0:39 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 0:38 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point hook shot | 33-33 |
| 0:25 | | Monte Morris misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:23 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 0:02 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point stepback jump shot | 36-33 |
| 0:01 | | Ausar Thompson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:58 | | Marvin Bagley III turnover (traveling) | ||
| 11:45 | | +2 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes two point stepback jump shot | 36-35 |
| 11:20 | | Mike Muscala shooting foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 11:20 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-35 |
| 11:20 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-35 |
| 11:06 | | Corey Kispert shooting foul (Alec Burks draws the foul) | ||
| 11:06 | | Alec Burks misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 11:06 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | +1 | Alec Burks makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-36 |
| 10:46 | | Killian Hayes personal foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | Delon Wright misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:37 | | Alec Burks defensive rebound | ||
| 10:29 | | Landry Shamet shooting foul (Bojan Bogdanovic draws the foul) | ||
| 10:29 | | +1 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-37 |
| 10:29 | | +1 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-38 |
| 10:18 | | Mike Muscala blocks Marvin Bagley III's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:17 | | Killian Hayes defensive rebound | ||
| 10:01 | | Alec Burks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:58 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 9:55 | | Corey Kispert turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 9:41 | | +2 | Killian Hayes makes two point driving layup | 38-40 |
| 9:34 | | Landry Shamet misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:33 | | Alec Burks defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Bojan Bogdanovic misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 9:27 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 9:17 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:14 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 9:13 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point layup | 40-40 |
| 9:01 | | Landry Shamet shooting foul (Alec Burks draws the foul) | ||
| 9:01 | | +1 | Alec Burks makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-41 |
| 9:01 | | +1 | Alec Burks makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-42 |
| 8:46 | | Killian Hayes blocks Landry Shamet's two point reverse layup | ||
| 8:43 | | Landry Shamet offensive rebound | ||
| 8:40 | | Ausar Thompson blocks Bilal Coulibaly's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:40 | | Pistons defensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Bojan Bogdanovic turnover (bad pass) (Delon Wright steals) | ||
| 8:20 | | Corey Kispert misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:17 | | Bojan Bogdanovic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:11 | | Mike Muscala misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:08 | | Landry Shamet defensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | Killian Hayes technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 8:01 | | +1 | Landry Shamet makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 41-42 |
| 7:56 | | Landry Shamet misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:54 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | +2 | Cade Cunningham makes two point pullup jump shot | 41-44 |
| 7:24 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 44-44 |
| 7:05 | | +3 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Cade Cunningham assists) | 44-47 |
| 6:46 | | Landry Shamet misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Bojan Bogdanovic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:38 | | +3 | Jaden Ivey makes three point jump shot (Cade Cunningham assists) | 44-50 |
| 6:13 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:11 | | Bojan Bogdanovic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:03 | | Cade Cunningham misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:59 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 5:58 | | Bojan Bogdanovic personal foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 5:58 | | Pistons 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:51 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point driving dunk | 46-50 |
| 5:32 | | Bojan Bogdanovic misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:31 | | Jalen Duren offensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | +2 | Isaiah Stewart makes two point driving layup (Cade Cunningham assists) |