Pistons Battle, Come Up Short Against Washington

On a night when a little more scoring would've been enough to get a win, the Pistons just couldn't quite find enough offense. Detroit was up one at halftime, down just two heading into the fourth and ultimately lost by just three, 116-113, in the nation's capital against the Wizards.

Head coach Dwane Casey identified the lack of offense from the bench, where the Pistons have normally been pretty solid, as one of the main reasons they came up short.

As you can see, Detroit's bench just simply wasn't as productive as they normally are. Only Kelly Olynyk scored in double figures off the bench and he had just 10 points. Overall, the Wizards' bench outscored Detroit's 44-30, which is obviously a pretty big discrepancy in a three-point loss. That was really the only area that Washington clearly outplayed Detroit. In fact, the Pistons had the edge in fast break points, points off turnovers and committed fewer turnovers. Usually edges in those areas lead to wins, but not when the bench is outscored by 14.

Tonight's loss is a bummer because it could've been a win. No one blew up for Washington, but eight players did score in double figures compared to just four for Detroit. If the bench had been a touch more productive, Detroit could've been discussing a win instead of a close loss.

The Pistons will be back in action on Thursday night in Toronto.