Will Riley scored 20 points and Sharife Cooper added 18 as the Washington Wizards pulled off a 126-117 upset over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.
Despite dressing just 10 players — including three on two-way contracts, with Cooper among them — Washington overcame a Pistons squad that had won five of their previous six games. The victory improved the Wizards to 14-36, while Detroit fell to 37-13.
Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic chipped in 14 points apiece for Washington, whose reserves combined for 69 points. The win also marks a strong rebound for the Wizards, who have now won four of six games following a nine-game losing streak.
For Detroit, Cade Cunningham led the way with 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, but the Pistons struggled from deep, hitting just 9 of 33 three-pointers (27.3%). All-Star center Jalen Duren contributed four points and three rebounds in 13 minutes before exiting with knee soreness.
Detroit briefly cut the Wizards’ lead to 112-107 after Duncan Robinson completed a four-point play with 4:15 remaining, but Bilal Coulibay banked in a three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer to extend Washington’s advantage to 117-110. The Pistons could not recover, failing to get key defensive stops down the stretch.
Up next:
The Wizards will be back in action at Brooklyn on Saturday, while the Pistons host New York on Friday night.
