Inside The Wizards

Pistons Punch Wizards in Face

The Washington Wizards couldn't get past the Detroit Pistons.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 17, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Detroit Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio (19) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Nov 17, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Detroit Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio (19) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are still in the loss column after dropping their eighth consecutive game with a 124-104 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night at Capital One Arena.

Despite returning home after a five-game road trip, the Wizards' fortunes didn't improve by playing in front of their fans. Instead, it exposed another big issue that the team has faced throughout the season.

“They hit a lot of shots down the stretch,” Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma said postgame. “They did a good job of just being physical with us and that's kind of our one of our bigger problems. When we play a physical team they kind of just punch us in the face and we don't really react to it.”

The Wizards were praised for their physicality earlier in the season by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, but it appears that it has faded over time. Perhaps the losing that the Wizards have gone through over the past few weeks have contributed to the lack of physicality that they bring game in and game out. On top of that, the tight windows in between games is something that the young Wizards are learning about as the season rolls along.

Bumping up the physicality won't solve all of the Wizards' problems, but it could make these games more competitive. Not only have the Wizards lost eight straight games, but all of them have been by at least nine points or more, so they have to take it upon themselves to show a little more pride and that could get the ball rolling back in the right direction.

The Wizards have a quick turnaround as they are back in action tonight against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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