Detroit — With two struggling teams, something had to give. The Pistons had lost nine of their previous 11 games and the Wizards had dropped seven of nine.
Somebody had to win.
Early on, it looked to be the Pistons in a runaway, as they built a 22-point lead in a breakout third quarter — only to see the Wizards rally and trim the margin to three in the final minutes.
Unlike some leads they’ve squandered in recent games, the Pistons held on this time — despite 24 turnovers — and took a 106-95 victory over the Wizards on Wednesday night in their final game of 2018 at Little Caesars Arena.