DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons lost to the Washington Wizards 126-107 in a battle of two teams on extended losing streaks.

Washington entered the game on a nine game losing streak, and the Pistons had lost thirteen in a row. One loss shy of Detroit’s franchise record for consecutive losses.

After starting the game on a 10-2 run, the Pistons struggled with sustaining effort, intensity and energy the rest of the way.

“Poor!” Monty Williams exclaimed of the teams effort. And Many fans would agree that the product on the floor just isn’t that good. The same thing Cade Cunningham said a few weeks ago after another bad loss.

”Enough talking,” Williams said. “That wasn’t fight or Pistons basketball by any stretch of the imagination.”

Beyond a lack of intensity the Pistons were outworked all night and never matched the physicality of Washington. The Wizards routinely had easy layups and wide open threes on the way to a route in Detroit.

Pistons Are Fuming

After an animated display by head coach Monty Williams during the press conference, he left after the second question. This was the most upset he’s seemed during the entire losing streak. So it was only right to believe the team would have heard an earful as well as they wrestled with results of their performance.

“High frustration,” Isaiah Livers said. “We played somewhat hard but didn’t execute.”

Livers spoke to the lack of physicality currently, after reminiscing about how much better it was during the Pistons 2-1 start to the season. It seems like the team isn’t connected or cohesive on offense or defense, which is something Livers admitted as well. And they place the blame on themselves, not on injured players, being young, or the team in a rebuild.

”The number one thing was we just didn’t play hard tonight,” Livers frustratedly stated. “We have enough out there. Playing hard isn’t a talent. Early on I saw a a lot of swag from this team and it was on defense. Very physical.”

Self reflection and responsibility is the only way to improvement for this bunch and the players know it.

“Right now we all feel like we aren’t playing our roles to the best of our ability,” said Livers. “Early on I saw a a lot of swag from this team and it was on defense. Very physical.”

Defensive Let Down

The Pistons started the game very active defensively but couldn’t sustain it through the half as the Wizards pulled away in the fourth quarter. And after coming out to support the Pistons in the cold, the fans who remained let their displeasure be known with a course of boos.

Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, both with ties to Michigan, always seek to put on a show for the Detroit crowd. And that they did as they sent Detroit to a loss that has many fans questioning the status of the rebuild. Kuzma led all scorers with thirty-two points, twelve rebounds and eight assists as he just missed a triple double.

The Pistons young core faired statistically well with Cade Cunningham scoring twenty-six points to go with seven assists and only one turnover. Ausar Thompson scored sixteen points, with Ivey and Duren chipping in 15 and 12 points respectively. And despite their showing, many observers are left with a rightfully bad taste for the current product.

There is no defending the rebuild when the product has looked this lifeless on the floor.

Despite the organizations desire and plans for completing this stage of the rebuild, the players moral and spirit is low. Leaving many wondering the short and long term effect it will have on such a young core. Their rotation includes eight players still on rookie contract deals and their experience is getting sorely exposed. It just makes one wonder if more needs to be done sooner than the offseason in order to stop the current bleeding.

Troy Weaver may have to do something by the trade deadline in order to improve the fortunes of this team’s future.