The 11-25 Pistons are in Washington take on the 12-23  Wizards to try to break free of the miserable 13 game losing streak they’re on.

Injury Update:

• No official word yet on Tayshaun, Bynum or Gordon for tonight’s contest.

The Scouting Report at Pistons.com.

Tip is at 7:00 pm EST and will be televised on Fox Sports PLUS. For the radio broadcast tune in to 97.1 The Ticket .

Lets Live Blog this one to break the curse, please join me.

Key Points:

• The Pistons did a great job moving the ball, it was almost like the ghost of Larry Brown was in the building….three passes before they shoot.  The movement, from the bigs and the guards, made for easy shots all night long.
• A fired up Charlie Villanueva, who still doesn’t seem like he’s used to the mask, scored 18 points on 8-19 shooting with 5 assists, 4 boards in 36 minutes.  His four point play gave the Pistons a boost right when they needed it.
• Detroit did a better job with the turnovers, just 11 opposed to the 21 they had on Friday night.
• Another good night in the paint for Detroit with 38 points down low.
• Board war tied at 41.
• Great night for Detroit’s bench who outscored the starters 55-44.
• Earl Boykins always amazes me.  Guy can shoot and with his size I’m so surprised his shot doesn’t get blocked more.  He’s like a Micro Machine basketball player.
• Need4Swede: Jonas is putting up double-doubles and making circus shots…check it out.
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• Jerebko finished the game with 10 points, 11 boards, a steal and an assist in 38 minutes on the floor.  Plus a few more fans with every game he plays.  On another note, my SWEEEEEDE chant at games when he’s got the ball isn’t catching on just yet, can you please pass the word to whoever you know is going to the game or if you are yourself, please join me…people are looking at me like I think he’s Sheed.
• Jason Maxiell’s playing time is odd to me, one night he’s out there a ton and tonight he plays just 9 minutes.
• Out-blocked again…Pistons with just one block from Ben Wallace all night, while Washington bats the ball away 7 times.
• I wonder if we can get a stat on how many of Rodney Stuckey’s shots get blocked.  I bet quite a few less than they used to.

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• As for Stuckey’s game against Washington, he was great.  Hot early and, had he not been in early foul trouble, he would have led the Pistons by more than just 25 points.  Stuck went 9-for-18 with 2 assists, 4 boards a steal, 3 turnovers and some clutch shots down the wire when the Wizards were gaining ground.
• Stucktaular Highlights via NBA.com
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• Ben Gordon played just 11 minutes scoring just 5.  He didn’t play in the second half, nursing his sore ankle on the bench.
• Say thank you to Austin Daye, who didn’t play in the first half and came out shooting in the second to help the Pistons get on track after leading by just three at the half.  Cool hand Daye finished with 11 points, shooting 100% from the field with 2 boards in just 12 minutes of play.

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• Auststanding Highlights:
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• A bit of a slow night for Ben Wallace who didn’t score, but grabbed 8 boards with 5 assists.  Yes, five assists for our very own Defensive Machine.
• Ok, I know we all were like ….seriously, Joe Dumars just signed Chucky Atkins?  I eat my words, Atkins is really making the most of his time back in Detroit.  Chucky scored 7 with 5 assists in 22 minutes.  He gave the Pistons some life, scoring his points early when they couldn’t hit a shot no matter how hard they tried.
• Awful first few minutes of the game for both teams.
• Gotta love holding Gilbert Arenas to just 8 points.
• Highlights of the game via NBA.com
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• Mixed reaction by the crowd who really didn’t realize this was Flip Saunders’ return.
• Nice passing from Kwame Brown who scored 4 with 2 assists and 5 boards.
• What’s up with the Thrill, 3-for-12 shooting and he missed some key free throws that the Pistons really needed in the closing minute of the game. Bynum scored 16, but once again isn’t playing like we know he can.  I hope his ankle isn’t getting worse.
• Funny story, I overhead some guy tell his friend he was at the game with, “Chucky Atkins must have been really hurt, I haven’t seen him play a lot for us since we won the Championship.” His friend answered, “me neither.”
• Good win for Detroit, who play Allen Iverson in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Chauncey Billups on Thursday at the Palace.  That’s going to be something.
• Don’t forget, Need4Sheed and viagogo are giving Pistons tickets away!

• If you watched the game (or were there, like many Pistons fans) you noticed something that you haven’t seen in quite some time.  Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson were in uniform and on the bench, but did not see any minutes in Saturday’s victory.
• Give it up again to Kwame Brown, who made some key defensive plays to help seal this one.  None bigger than the last play of the game when Arenas had a chance to win the game with a three after a purposely missed free throw. Kwame finished with 11 boards, a blocked shot and a steal in 25 minutes.
• “I saw Gilbert already going into his shot,” Brown said. “He was loading up before he got the went up for the shot, so I just jumped. Then he tried to kick his leg out to get the foul. Good job by the ref not calling it. He tried to initially throw it off me, but I kind of blocked it a little bit. Caron got a clean look. That was the longest 4 seconds I’ve ever seen.” Via NBA.com
  
• Pre and  post game Richard Hamilton made it clear that with the Pistons in the playoff predicament that they are in, he had no choice than to return to help his team. “No choice.”  If only everyone shared Rip’s mentality.
• Gilbert Arenas, who played for the first time in what seems like forever for the Wizards. Arenas finished with 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting and 10 assists in 30 minutes and was the key to the Wizards rally from a 15 point, second half deficit.
• Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 31 points, on 11-29 shooting in his return to the court.  Sixteen of those coming in the third quarter alone and for what seemed like forever, Rip just kept knocking down threes(3) from the same spot in the corner in the third. He went 5 for 9 from downtown with 4 boards, 3 assists.

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• Will Bynum’s minutes may have been cut short with Rip’s return but that didn’t stop him from throwing down a monster slam that wowed the Wizards crowd. So good, it was NBA.com’s DUNK OF THE NIGHT. Will finished with 9 points in 17 minutes, with 4 assists, a steal and 5 turnovers.
• Allen Iverson is looking at a Tuesday return against The Cavaliers, but if that means he has to take medication to play, he’s not going to do it. “That’s what I don’t want to do,” Iverson said of being medicated for the pain. “As bad as I want to get out there on the court, I just want to do what’s right for me. I don’t want to go out there and feel good while I’m out there, and feel awful when the game is over and not heal at all.” Via MLive
• We all know turnovers have been an issue all season for Detroit, they had 16 for the game. The problem seems to be in pressure situations though. Detroit gave the ball away 8 times in the fourth quarter, which helped the Wizards crawl back from a 15 point deficit to take the game to the wire.
• NBA.com Highlights of the Game
• Feels funny to be fighting with Larry Brown’s Charlotte Bobcats for the last playoff spot. Twilight Zone….
• Good thing, the win moved the Pistons within percentage points of Chicago for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Now if they can just keep on winning.
• Jason Maxiell was a spark plug in Saturday nights victory. He doesn’t put up huge numbers, but the ones he does are deafening.  Maxiell finished with 10 points, 7 boards, 2 blocked shot and 2 assists in 25 minutes.  I am actually surprised Maxiell hasn’t pulled the rim down yet.

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• The Pistons were off to a quick start Saturday, scoring 60 points by halftime and shooing over 62%. The problem was it’s had to keep up that pace and shooting percentage and it caught up with them in the fourth quarter when the couldn’t make a shot.
• Tayshaun Prince scored 19 on 8-for-13 shooting with 3 assists, 2 blocks a steal and one board. When Tayshaun’s numbers are stable, the Pistons have a good chance to win. You have to cut Prince a little slack since he’s been the only one Detroit can really count on with the injury plagued season they have had.
• Amir Johnson got his chance Saturday night with Kwame and Dyess in foul trouble early. His stat line… 0 points (he didn’t shoot), 2 assists, a steal and 3 personal fouls in 7 minutes.
• Surprisingly Antionio McDyess didn’t put up a double-double for Detroit, but it may be because his scoring to a back seat to Rip. Dyess scored 8 on 4-for-8 shooting with 11 boards, an assists, a steal and a blocked shot. His two clutch jumpers in the fourth quarter broke the Pistons out of their drought in the fourth and helped the Pistons lock this one up.
• Stuckey put up 13 with 6 assists and 2 turnovers in 31 minutes. A much more solid game for Rodney who has been struggling with all aspects of his game of late.
• With all the drama of the season aside, what truly is sad is the fact that the team that we could always count on to pull out a victory it far from what it used to be. No lead is ever safe and no one player can be counted on take over. It seems like so long ago when we used to be so confident in this team going into the fourth quarter…even if they were losing. Their killer instinct is dead.
• Sunday game, second game of a back to back, at home against the 6th seed (Sixers) in the early evening. This game is a must win with Cleveland on Tuesday.