Anthony Davis went absolutely OFF for 44 points Monday night, coming back from injury like a beast, but it wasn’t enough. His Washington Wizards still ate a tough 122-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons, effectively wasting an insane individual performance. It was Davis’s first game back after missing two with an injury, and you’d think that kind of scoring would seal a win. Nope.
A Masterclass Wasted
Davis was on fire from the jump, putting up a ridiculous 30 points in the first half alone on 10-11 shooting. That’s a historic pace, putting him in a group with only four other Wizards players to ever drop that many points in a half. He finished the game with 44 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, and a steal, shooting an incredibly efficient 16-21 from the field. Anyone watching could tell he’s playing at an All-Star level, impacting the game in every major way. Even Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had to tip his hat, saying, “I mean, he’s Anthony Davis for a reason, right? He’s got the ability to score in so many ways… He’s a Hall of Fame-type player.” But Bickerstaff also gave credit to his own team for making everyone *else* on the Wizards work for it. And boy, did they.
“Everything, Everything, Everything…”
After that kind of effort and still taking an L, Davis didn’t hold back. Greg Finberg of Wizards Central reported Davis’s post-game frustration, and it was raw: “Everything, everything, everything… We’re not playing any defense… We’re not rebounding. We’re giving up open threes, fouling, and not guarding the ball. Everything.” And honestly, the stats back him up big time. The Wizards’ defense went totally missing in the second and third quarters, giving up a combined 72 points to Detroit in that stretch. Even though they tightened up in the fourth, limiting the Pistons to just 19 points, the damage was done. The team racked up 18 turnovers, committed 23 personal fouls, and shot a miserable 9-36 from three-point range. You can’t win games like that, no matter how much your star is carrying you.
What’s Next For Washington?
This loss drops the Wizards to a painful 4-7 on the season, their third consecutive defeat. Head coach Brian Keefe is trying to stay positive, saying they’re “a new team. We’re growing and learning. We have to take all this evidence that we have, use it, look at it, and teach and coach. Those are things we’re doing. We just have to build it more consistently.” But consistency is exactly what they’re lacking. This entire situation has to be eating at Davis, especially with reports swirling that the Wizards are going to monitor his performance over a 20-30 game period to decide on a contract extension. The current team record isn’t exactly building confidence for that future. The Wizards desperately need to figure out how to put together a full game, or they’ll keep wasting incredible individual efforts like Davis’s.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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