Wizards look to avoid tragedy in exciting rematch vs Pistons

The last time the Washington Wizards took on the Detroit Pistons turned into one of the most exciting games of the season for the team. Something that is likely going to be replicated again as the Pistons feature numerous big men that can rise up and out muscle the Wizards frontcourt.

While this game is sure to be a fun matchup, a loss here would be tragic for the Wizards as they look to continue competing for a Play-In spot. They are currently the 11 seed thanks to a timely loss by the Indiana Pacers and are only half a game removed from the ten seed Chicago Bulls. However, a loss to the Pistons would return them to the 12 seed with only 13 games left in the season and a potential game and a half deficit depending on how the Bulls play on Wednesday.

This would spell doom for the Wizards as they would have to exert a lot of energy to return to the Play-In situation just to be met with single elimination and two teams who also are looking to make the playoffs in the Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks.

What’s worse, with a couple of key free agents coming up this offseason, an embarrassing loss in the Play-In or missing the postseason all together could cause their current core to be torn apart. Something the Wizards have made clear is that they want to run this core back, so this could be dangerous for them.

The key to turning their season around is to stay composed throughout their matchup against the Pistons. They need a big win to get the team rolling and a hobbled team in the second half of a back-to-back is exactly where they can find that win. Considering they are facing the worst team in the league, it’s not hard to imagine a huge win going in favor of the Wizards in this one.

If the Washington Wizards are able to pull off the win as they probably should, they would finally gain some traction as they barrel towards the end of the season.