Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from MLK Day win over Detroit Pistons

The Washington Wizards snapped their three-game losing streak with a106-100 over the Detroit Pistons.

After losing three straight games, the Washington Wizards rebounded and defeated the Detroit Pistons on Monday afternoon. They played in the first of 14 scheduled on Martin Luther King Day.

While Bradley Beal poured in 29 points, it was Ian Mahinmi‘s performance that made the difference against Detroit. His defense on Andre Drummond and others was the game-changer for Washington. Mahinmi finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, ad two steals on 9-of-10 shooting.

Even though Drummond finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds, he was a non-factor down the stretch for Detroit and the Wizards were able to walk away victorious.

Three takeaways from Washington’s win:

Beal is Still Beal

If there were any questions about Beal’s health, he answered them on Monday. After some shaky performances over his last few games, Beal bounced back strong against Detroit. And that all started with this absolutely wicked crossover against Drummond.

In this game, Beal would go on to pass Wes Unseld to become the Wizards’ fourth all-time leading scorer. His two-man game with Mahinmi was critical to Washington’s lead at the half and kept the Pistons from coming back at the end of the fourth.

The Wizards may just have an All-Star after all. Hopefully Beal can build off of this performance as Washington looks to continue their climb in the Eastern Conference. After Monday’s win over Detroit, the Wizards are 14-28, just four and a half games back from the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Thomas Bryant is Ready

Even with Mahinmi’s big game, it’s clear that Thomas Bryant is ready to retake his place in the starting lineup. In just 22 minutes, Bryant finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Compared to Mahinmi, Bryant’s a more effective three-point shooter, has an efficient jumper, and moves well from the perimeter to the post. He missed all but one game in the month of December, and Monday’s game against the Pistons was just his fourth game back from injury.

Placing Bryant back into the starting lineup and moving Mahinmi to a reserve role adds even more scoring to what has been a successful bench unit this season. Per NBA.com, the Wizards bench ranks 6th league-wide in points per game (114.3).

Markieff Morris and Davis Bertans are NOT Friends

Wizards fans may recall the game on December 16 when Washington beat Detroit 133-119. In that victory, Markieff Morris and Davis Bertans ended up exchanging words in the fourth quarter.

Words that cannot be reproduced here due to their vulgarity.

Well, history repeated itself on Monday, when Morris was called for a Flagrant 2 on Bertans. He struck and grabbed the Latvian Laser’s face as Bertans attempted a layup, pulling his entire head back.

After the game, Morris didn’t have much to say about the interaction or foul.

But it’s clear now, after two games of back-and-forth, that these two won’t be sharing offseason plans anytime soon. Bertans finished with fewer points than Morris, but wasn’t ejected. And he got the W.

We’ll give this round to the Latvian Laser.