Wizards report

Last night at MCI Center:

KEY NUMBER

65Points scored by the Pistons in the second half. They average just under 89 a game.

KEY TO THE GAME

Chauncey Billups scoring 21 points in the second half.

SEEN AND HEARD

COACH’S TAKE: Since Larry Brown generally is recognized as the best coach in the NBA, it makes sense to get his assessment of what he sees in the Wizards since they’ve traded for Antawn Jamison and gotten off to a good start.

“That’s a heck of a trade; that’s the leader they really needed,” Brown said of the deal that sent Jerry Stackhouse to Dallas. “They have as good young talent as anybody in the league.”

He’s also high on the other components of the Wizards’ Big Three.

“I think that in [Larry] Hughes and [Gilbert] Arenas they have athletic young guards with a huge upside,” Brown said. “Overall there are a lot of good things happening here. They are not a fluke, they are for real. They are a team that can get to the playoffs and have success.”

BIG GAME: Wizards coach Eddie Jordan didn’t even try to act as if it was just another game, especially since five of Washington’s next six games are at home.

“This game is so important to us in regard to our stretch,” Jordan said. “If we can have a good performance tonight and get juiced up for the remainder of our homestand, we know if we do a good job against the world champions we can play at the highest level.”

— John N. Mitchell