Detroit beat Washington 122–111 on Monday night, and the most revealing number wasn't Anthony Davis' 44 points. It was the Pistons' 31 assists against just 10 turnovers. Washington had the game's dominant individual scorer; Detroit had the cleaner, more connected offence, and that difference carried the Pistons to a 7–3 record while the Wizards slipped to 4–7.
Davis gave Washington every reason to believe it could steal the game. Returning from an ankle problem, he scored 30 first-half points on 10-of-11 shooting and finished with 44 points and 13 rebounds. Yet Detroit still led 68–58 at the break. That's a fairly brutal contrast for the Wizards: their best player was almost impossible to stop, but the team couldn't translate his extraordinary efficiency into control of the scoreboard.
The Pistons' response was spread across the floor. John Collins scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Duncan Robinson supplied 22 points and four made threes. Daniss Jenkins, promoted to the starting lineup, added 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals. Detroit didn't need a single player to match Davis shot for shot because its attack kept finding several ways to score.
Jenkins made the third quarter his own. He scored 13 points in the period as Detroit shot 63.2 per cent from the field and stretched a 10-point half-time advantage into a 103–87 lead. Washington had opened the game by edging the first quarter 32–31, but Detroit won the middle two periods 72–55. That was where the result was decided: the Pistons generated efficient looks and built enough separation to absorb a quieter final term.
The ball-security gap tells an equally important story. Detroit committed 10 turnovers to Washington's 18, while recording 31 assists to the Wizards' 16. Those aren't cosmetic differences. Extra empty possessions make it harder to benefit from a 44-point performance, especially against an opponent moving the ball well enough to create scoring chances without relying on difficult isolation attempts. Detroit also converted 28 of 31 free throws; Washington made 20 of 28.
Cade Cunningham finished with 17 points and seven assists, but foul trouble limited his involvement after he picked up a fifth foul in the third quarter. He didn't return until midway through the fourth. Detroit had already built a 115–99 cushion by then. Jenkins' ability to run the offence and score during that stretch was more than a useful cameo: it gave the Pistons a practical answer when their usual lead creator couldn't stay on the court.
Washington's supporting production wasn't absent altogether. Rookie AJ Dybantsa scored 21 points and Trae Young added 20 with seven assists. But the Wizards lost their fourth consecutive game, and Davis' spectacular night became another example of how difficult it is to win when one player supplies so much of the offensive weight. The Pistons, meanwhile, responded to consecutive defeats with a win built on distribution rather than a shooting miracle.
The teams meet again in Washington on Thursday, after the Wizards visit Indiana on Wednesday. That quick rematch gives Washington a clear assignment: protect the ball, keep more than one scoring option involved and make Detroit work harder to create clean looks. For the Pistons, Jenkins has already shown he can shoulder meaningful creation duties when circumstances demand it. The 122–111 scoreline mattered; the way Detroit arrived there may matter more.
Official NBA game analysis: https://www.nba.com/game/was-vs-det-0022600205/blueprint
Game reporting and team statistics: https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/pistons-hand-wizards-fourth-straight-loss-despite-anthony-davis-big-night--flm-2026-11-10/
Full game statistics: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20261109_WAS%40DET/
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