The Washington Wizards suffered their worst loss of the season, as they were routed by the Detroit Pistons 132-102. To add injury to insult, team leading scorer Bradley Beal exited the game early in the fourth quarter with what is being described as “right lower leg soreness.”
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said Beal wanted to return but he held Beal out due to the large deficit.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and evaluate it,” Brooks said per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “He wanted to keep playing but the bottom line is we were down a big number, so it’s wise to let him sit out the rest of the game.”
Beal entered the game averaging 28.3, 6.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. He shot 5-of-14 from the field Thursday against Detroit, including 0-of-5 from three-point range. He finished with 15 points, two assists and two rebounds with a plus/minus rating of -25.
The Wizards as a whole struggled from the field early on. Ish Smith shot 3-of-11 from the field, finishing with nine points. Washington was led by Anzejs Pasecniks, who scored 17 points.
All eyes will be focus on the health of Beal as the Wizards return to Washington ahead of their contest Saturday against the New York Knicks.
Bradley Beal struggled with health early in his career, but has not missed a game since April 2017. He has appeared in 194 consecutive games since.
