National Basketball Association
Washington 115, Detroit 111
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, October 20, 2017
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
Officials: #74 Curtis Blair, #34 Kevin Cutler, #33 Sean Corbin
Attendance: 16337

WASHINGTON -- Helped by an explosive offense, the Washington Wizards opened the season with back-to-back wins. John Wall's fear is they might go winless on their upcoming road trip if the defense doesn't tighten up.

Otto Porter scored 28 points, and Wall had 26 points, 10 assists and two blocks as the Wizards improved to 2-0 with a 115-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Bradley Beal finished with 25 points as the Wizards held on after letting a 15-point fourth-quarter lead slip away. Wall and Beal combined for 34 points in the second half, but scoring wasn't the issue.

The Pistons (1-1) sank 9 of 13 shots from the field (69.2 percent) in the fourth quarter.

"Defensively, the first two games we've been terrible, both units," Wall acknowledged. "We show glimpses when we're good, but if we don't pick it up defensively on the road, we won't win any games."

Washington defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 120-115 on Wednesday.

Reggie Jackson scored 21 points, Avery Bradley 18 and Tobias Harris 15 for the Pistons.

Detroit center Andre Drummond had nine points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 9:15 remaining with his team trailing 98-83. The Pistons immediately rallied with a 14-0 run and eventually took the lead at 104-102.

Washington responded for a 111-106 lead and remained on top at 113-111. The 6-foot-4 Wall, who has a penchant for swatting shots, blocked Jackson's driving layup attempt with 14 seconds left.

"That's just me playing defense. I think I'm the best shot-blocking point guard in NBA history," Wall said with a grin. "I'm just trying to set records."

After several loose-ball situations that took time off the clock, Wall hit two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining.

Washington finished 29 of 35 from the line. Detroit hit 15 of 20 and committed 17 turnovers.

"Turnovers and fouls, that was the game," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "If they're going to shoot that many more free throws than we are and we are going to turn the ball over that many times, it's going to be hard to win anywhere, but especially on the road."

Wall and Beal shot a combined 17 of 25 from the field and 15 of 18 on free throws.

"They're great players," Jackson said. "They're proven in this league. It makes it tough when you can't necessarily really play them. Feels like we weren't allowed to play basketball. Personally, I might be ashamed of myself if I wore stripes into the building tonight."

Washington trailed 65-58 at halftime deficit despite 20 points from Porter.

"I was very excited to talk to them at halftime. I was looking forward to that," Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said about the opportunity to address the porous defense. "We're not going to stop them from scoring every time, but we have to give ourselves the best chance. We do that with toughness."

Porter hit his only two 3-pointers in the third quarter and Wall scored 11 points as the Wizards outscored the Pistons 33-16 in the period for a 91-81 lead.

The Wizards opened last season with three consecutive losses and sat 2-8 after 10 games before rallying for a 49-win season.

Drummond was held below his season averages in three games against Washington last season, averaging 8.7 points and 9.7 rebounds. The big man surpassed both numbers in the first half with nine points and 10 rebounds -- six offensive -- but wasn't much help after halftime.

Porter became the second player to replace power forward Markieff Morris (hernia surgery) in as many games. Kelly Oubre Jr. (four points) started at the other forward spot.

Center Marcin Gortat scored 10 points and all nine of his rebounds in the second half. Washington dominated the glass after halftime 22-11 and finished with a 37-33 edge.

Pistons rookie Luke Kennard, the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, sank his first five shots from the field after not playing in Detroit's season opener. He finished with 11 points, and the Pistons' bench had 38 points.

The Pistons downed the Charlotte Hornets 102-90 in the regular-season opener behind 27 points and 10 rebounds from Harris.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Washington
Reggie Jackson 21 Scoring Otto Porter Jr. 28
Reggie Jackson 5 Assists John Wall 10
Andre Drummond 12 Rebounds Marcin Gortat 9
Tobias Harris 4 Free Throws Made John Wall 9
Reggie Jackson 5 Steals Otto Porter Jr. 4
Jon Leuer 1 Blocks Bradley Beal 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 111 49.4 10-23 15-20 19 33 1 12 19
Washington 115 53.3 6-17 29-35 25 37 7 12 17
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Wizards have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against New York. The Pistons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.