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Wizards vs. Pistons preview: Washington looks to win first home game of season on Monday

Andre Drummond is coming to town...

Washington Wizards v Detroit Pistons Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Wizards host the Pistons later tonight. Here’s the preview!

Game Info

When: Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

How to watch: NBC Sports Washington

Injury Report

Wizards: C.J. Miles (Day-to-Day) Jordan McRae (Finger, Out), Ian Mahinmi (Achilles, Out), John Wall (Achilles, Out)

Pistons: Blake Griffin (Hamstring, Out), Tim Frazier (Shoulder, Day-to-Day), Reggie Jackson (Back, Out), Derrick Rose (Hamstring, Out)

Pregame notes

Will Rui Hachimura bounce back?

Hachimura struggled to get a bucket in Saturday night’s loss to the Timberwolves. The rookie went 2-11 from the field and only grabbed 2 rebounds in his 22 minutes on the floor.

Postgame, Coach Scott Brooks spoke about how important it is to make sure Hachimura doesn’t let one bad game become two or three in a row. He seemed to have confidence in his rookie and doesn’t seem too concerned about him having an off game.

It’s time for the Wizards to play some defense…

In the Wizards first two home games, they have allowed for the visiting teams to score a total of 290 points in regulation. After the Timberwolves game, Bradley Beal admitted his team was struggling on the defensive end.

“We weren’t guarding anybody,” said Beal. “Can’t really pinpoint it, but it’s something that we’ve got to nip in the bud now versus later.”

He, also, talked about how they work on transition defense each outside of game.

“We do it in practice every day, so there should’ve been no excuse for us,” he said.

The Wizards must control the rebounding battle

Andre Drummond is coming to town, which means the Wizards will have to work hard on each side of the floor to contain him. The center had a double-double in each regular season game thus far. In the Pistons’ last game against the Nets last Saturday, Drummond put up 25 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. He’s also averaging 22.1 points and 18.7 rebounds per game this season.

If there’s a game the Wizards really need to box out for rebounds, it’s this one.

Flashback Highlight

Bradley Beal scored 32 points and 10 assists against the Pistons on Feb. 11, 2019. Unfortunately, the Wizards lost that game 121-112.