Anthony Davis returned to the court with a flourish on Monday. Unfortunately for Davis, the Washington Wizards did not do the same as a team.
Fresh off a 44-point outburst following a two-game absence due to a right ankle sprain, Davis will look to help the Wizards snap a four-game skid on Wednesday when they face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
Davis bolted out of the blocks by erupting for 30 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the first half of Washington’s 122-111 setback to the Detroit Pistons. The 10-time All-Star made 16 of 21 shots from the floor overall and finished with 13 rebounds.
When discussing what went wrong, Davis didn’t hold back.
“Everything, everything, everything,” he said, per Wizards Central. “We’re not playing any defense. … We’re not rebounding. We’re giving up open 3s, fouling and not guarding the ball. Everything.”
To Davis’ point, the Pistons scored a combined 72 points in the second and third quarters while the Wizards committed 23 personal fouls overall and 19 turnovers.
Wizards head coach Brian Keefe wasn’t as harsh with his assessment of the team.
“We’re a new team. We’re growing and learning,” Keefe said. “We have to take all this evidence that we have, use it, look at it, and teach and coach. Those are things we’re doing. We just have to build it more consistently.”
Washington rookie AJ Dybantsa, the top overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, matched his career high with 21 points to go along with eight rebounds.
Trae Young added 20 points to go along with a team-high seven assists for the Wizards.
Like Washington, Indiana also is struggling. The Pacers have lost two in a row and seven of their last eight games following their 125-122 setback to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
Pascal Siakam scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half on Monday. He also had nine rebounds and eight assists.
Siakam made five 3-pointers and Aaron Nesmith sank four shots from beyond the arc to highlight his 18-point performance. Andrew Nembhard collected 12 points and 12 assists, and Ivica Zubac added 16 points.
“Pascal had a great game. Aaron hit a couple big shots at the end, and he always plays hard,” Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Nembhard was great. I mean, (Zubac) had one of his best games as a Pacer, and you know, we’re getting a better feel for him and vice versa, and those were all good signs.”
Carlisle continued to praise his team as it builds chemistry.
“Our entire team, you know, is going to be (doing) a lot of adjusting and calibrating, and we’ve got to figure things out,” Carlisle said. “And in the process of doing that, as we face challenges, we can’t allow it to affect our concentration or our collective will defensively.”
T.J. McConnell recorded two points and three assists in eight minutes on Monday. It was his second game back since returning from a hamstring injury.
Indiana captured the first meeting between the teams last season before Washington won the final three. The Wizards, however, won an NBA-worst 17 games last season, while the Pacers finished with just 19 victories.
