Washington, D.C. — The Detroit Pistons rallied from a 20-point first-quarter deficit but fell 114-108 in overtime to the Washington Wizards on Saturday at Capital One Arena in their second preseason game.
Washington led 40-20 after one quarter behind guard Tre Johnson, who scored 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc while the Wizards shot 60.9 percent from the field.
Detroit answered with a 7-0 run to open the second period and outscored Washington 30-16 in the quarter, going into halftime down 56-50 after holding the Wizards to 33.3 percent shooting and just four made field goals in the period.
Paul Reed scored eight of his 11 points in that surge with nine rebounds and two steals before fouling out, and Tolu Smith III added six points and 13 rebounds in 15 minutes with eight offensive boards.
Isaac Jones tied the game with a reverse dunk with 11 seconds left in regulation and John Ukomadu helped force overtime, but the Pistons could not close after holding a 94-87 lead in the final five minutes of the fourth.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff again said the final score mattered less than first-half offense as Detroit continues installing a revamped system ahead of the regular season.
