WASHINGTON — Capital One Arena is a tough place to play, at least for the Pistons.
Detroit's offensive struggles continued into Tuesday's matchup in the nation's capital in a 119-98 loss to the Washington Wizards. It marked the Pistons' third consecutive loss and their 15th straight loss on the Wizards' home court dating back to Jan. 1, 2014.
The theme early on in this season has centered around the Pistons' scoring droughts and lack of bench production. Detroit (1-3) received 25 points from its bench and the team finished 36-for-88 from the field (8-for-28 from 3-point range).
The Wizards (3-1) were led by a three-man combination of Kristaps Porzingis, Flint native Kyle Kuzma and Will Barton. Kuzma tallied a team-high 25 points and six rebounds. Porzingis dominated the interior before he landed in foul trouble and finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Barton added 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point land.
The Pistons weren't able to find much continuity and chemistry, finishing with just 12 assists after entering the game averaging 27.7 assists per game, eighth in the NBA.
Bojan Bogdanovic, who entered the game averaging a team-high 19.3 points, appeared comfortable from the opening tip as he returned to the same arena that he once played in during his short stint with the Wizards in 2016-17. He led the Pistons with 25 points, nine of which he scored in the first quarter. Bogdanovic only missed twice in the first half as he connected on his first five shots of the game, four of which were 3-pointers.
Cade Cunningham struggled offensively in the first half after scoring a season-high 22 points against the Pacers on Saturday. The Pistons star couldn't find much success at the rim and was often short on his 3-point attempts. However, Cunningham found some momentum after the halftime break as he was able to score a series of layups, mid-range shots and free throws. He had 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Saddiq Bey entered Tuesday's game as the Pistons' third-leading scorer at 18 points per game. However, the third-year forward had a rough shooting night despite playing in his hometown of Washington D.C. He finished with six points on 2-for-5 shooting in 21 minutes.
Flint native Monte Morris entered Tuesday's game with the third-highest 3-point percentage in the league (71.4%), but couldn't find his mark from beyond the arc. He connected on one of his four attempts from deep and finished with nine points, six rebounds and six assists.
Wizards star Bradley Beal left the game and went to the locker room late in the fourth quarter with back tightness. He returned midway through in the third quarter. He appeared to be OK following the break as he was able to knock down two contested mid-range jumpers while he was fouled. He totaled 13 points, five rebounds and six rebounds.
The Pistons had trouble taking care of the ball in the first half, racking up 10 turnovers through the first 24 minutes. Despite the early giveaways, the team finished with 13 by the end of the game.
Washington has won each of the last six matchups and are 10-2 against the Pistons over the last three seasons (since 2019-20).
After failing to leave three road arenas with a victory, the Pistons will return to Detroit for a three-game homestand. Atlanta will visit Little Caesars Arena in back-to-back games on Wednesday and Friday before the reigning champion Golden State Warriors come to town on Sunday.
