The Pistons will seek their second victory over the Washington Wizards this month when the teams meet on Saturday afternoon in Detroit.
The Wizards will have a different head coach patrolling the sidelines for this matchup.
Wes Unseld Jr. was moved upstairs Thursday into an advisory role. Assistant Brian Keefe was named interim head coach.
The move didn’t change the team’s fortunes at the outset. The Utah Jazz extended Washington’s losing skid to six games with a 123-108 decision on Thursday.
The Wizards trailed throughout the second half and made only 23.3 percent of their 3-point attempts for the game.
A lack of consistent effort was one reason cited by team president Michael Winger for the coaching change.
Keefe has been an assistant coach with five NBA teams. He joined Unseld’s staff prior to this season.
The Wizards’ current slide began with a 129-117 loss to the Pistons on Jan. 15. Alec Burks led Detroit with a season-high 34 points as the Pistons shot 55.6 percent from the field. Jaden Ivey had 24 points and six assists, while center Jalen Duren powered for 20 points and 19 rebounds.
The Pistons notched their fifth win of the season on Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets 113-106. Bojan Bogdanovic led the way with 34 points.
Monte Morris, who was traded by Washington to Detroit during the offseason, made his season and Pistons’ debut. Morris, who had been sidelined with a quad injury, played 11 minutes and contributed seven points and three assists.
Cunningham, Detroit’s franchise player, has missed eight consecutive games with a left knee strain. He could return on Saturday.
The Pistons outscored the Hornets 24-14 in the fourth quarter. Duren’s tip-in with 1:12 remaining was the go-ahead basket. He added a dunk in the final minute.
Detroit is now 1-3 on a six-game homestand. The game on Saturday is the front end of a back-to-back. The Pistons will close out the homestand against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon.
The Wizards will travel to San Antonio afterward to face the Spurs on Monday night.
