MORRIS MAKES WIZ DEBUT WITH SIX POINTS IN 22 MINUTES
A day after tackling the Utah Jazz in the first of a three straight game stretch, the Washington Wizards quickly turned their attention to the Detroit Pistons. Detroit, the team directly ahead of Washington in the standings, added Tobias Harris from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline yesterday, which may have pressured Ernie Grunfeld to make a counter move.
Markieff Morris was active in his first game since arriving in the area and told the media he was excited to be here before the game. Behind another strong performance from the House of Guards — John Wall (22p, 8a, 8r) and Bradley Beal (17p, 3a) — Washington dominated Detroit on their way to a 98-86 victory.
Detroit got off to a bad offensive start by opening the game 1 of 11 from the field including missed shots from close to the rim. Washington started with a 9-2 lead before going on a 9-0 run that gave them a double digit lead. The Wizards defense was stellar again as they held Detroit to 6 of 22 shooting and just 15 points in the first quarter, a season best for Washington. The home team gave the crowd free Egg McMuffins for the second night in a row with a 29-15 lead after one quarter of play.