Morris' buzzer-beater gets Pistons past Wizards 113-112
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Marcus Morris used an assist from his twin brother to help the Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards.
Morris scored 25 points and tipped in the winning basket at the buzzer, using Markieff's shoulder to help elevate himself and get his hand on the ball, as the streaking Pistons won their third straight, 113-112 on Saturday night.
"I grabbed him, put my hand on his shoulder and got him back because he blocked my shot the play before that," Marcus Morris said of Markieff. "I knew that was him (standing there). You can't make that call at the end of the game."
After the Wizards took a 112-111 lead on Bradley Beal's two free throws with 1:13 left, Detroit had numerous chances to win on its final possession before Marcus Morris tipped in Tobias Harris' missed runner with no time left.
"I just stayed on my side," Marcus Morris said. "I stayed with it, crashed the glass and happened to be in a good spot."
Markieff Morris, who used to be teammates with his brother in Phoenix, gave Marcus credit for the winner, but called it a "lucky" tip.
"I should have blocked it," Markieff said. "Tough loss for us, but you bounce back."
Reggie Jackson had 19 points and eight assists, while Harris added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who let a 16-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter before Marcus Morris' big bucket.
"It was a nice, solid win," Jackson said. "It was a tough win for us."
John Wall finished with 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Markieff Morris added 19 points and nine rebounds for Washington, which had its four-game win streak snapped.
"We battled and fought," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "One rebound short of winning that game."
The Pistons led 98-82 after three quarters, but the Wizards fought back, getting within six at 105-99 on Markieff Morris' layup. The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes before Washington gained a 110-109 advantage on Morris' dunk with 2:14 remaining.
"Our energy was good and we played really hard," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's all about wins."
Washington scored the first nine points of the game, but the Pistons took their first lead, 20-19, on Marcus Morris' 3-pointer and led 30-26 after the first quarter.
Detroit took its biggest edge of the half, 41-30, on Reggie Bullock's 3-pointer. The Wizards got within three points on two occasions, but trailed 61-55 at the break.
The Pistons controlled the third quarter, building their lead to 16 points on Ish Smith's free throw to end the period.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Danuel House Jr. (right wrist fracture) and Ian Mahinmi (knee) did not play. ... Washington played its third straight close game, beating New York 113-110 and Memphis 104-101 in their last two. ... G Trey Burke played college basketball at Michigan. He finished Saturday with seven points off the bench.
Pistons: G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left rotator cuff strain) did not play. ... Detroit capped its five game West Coast trip with a 102-97 win over the Lakers and beat Atlanta 118-95 in their first game back at the Palace. ... Marcus Morris also grabbed 11 rebounds for his third double-double this season.
ROAD WOES
Washington fell to 5-14 overall on the road, including 5-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. The Wizards are much better at home with an 18-6 record. "It's hard to beat somebody when they score that many points," Markieff Morris said of Saturday's loss. "You've just got to move on."
UP NEXT
Wizards: Monday at Charlotte.
Pistons: Host Sacramento on Monday.
