Kyle Kuzma racked up 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the visiting Washington Wizards snapped a nine-game losing streak by pulling away to beat the reeling Detroit Pistons 126-107 on Monday night.
Deni Avdija supplied 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and reserve Danilo Gallinari also had 16 points for Washington, which hadn’t won since Nov. 8.
Landry Shamet and Tyus Jones had 12 points apiece, while Daniel Gafford added 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
The Pistons lost their 14th consecutive game, tying the franchise record for the longest skid in a single season. They also dropped 14 straight during the 1993-94 and 2021-22 seasons.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 26 points and seven assists. Ausar Thompson tossed in 16 points and Jaden Ivey had 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Pistons went 8-for-38 from 3-point range.
The Wizards held a 57-54 edge at halftime. Jordan Poole had a team-high 10 points for Washington, and Avdija contributed nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Thompson led Detroit with 12 points and Cunningham added 10. Neither club had a double-digit advantage before the break.
Washington took a 67-60 lead when Gafford converted an alley-oop pass from Avdija. Jones had back-to-back baskets to push the Wizards’ lead to 71-63 with 7:19 left in the third quarter.
Kuzma scored Washington’s next eight points to push the advantage to 10. His three-point play and hook shot during a 20-second span later made it 86-72 with 3:36 left in the quarter.
Detroit cut the deficit to eight before the third ended, but Kuzma drained a long 3-pointer to give the Wizards a 94-83 lead heading into the fourth.
Avdija opened the quarter with a three-point play and Gallinari followed with a mid-range jumper to increase the lead to 16.
Bilal Coulibaly’s dunk after a Detroit turnover made it 103-85.
Kuzma reached the 30-point mark on two free throws with 5:58 left, giving Washington a 112-95 lead.
Gafford punctuated the victory with a putback dunk for a 20-point lead.
–Field Level Media
