DETROIT >> The Detroit Pistons suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats of the season Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena. They lost 129-125 to the Washington Wizards, who came into the game with a league-low 13 wins.

The loss brought the Pistons’ record to 37-30, but it did not affect their position as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, for a franchise aiming to secure a higher spot, such as the No. 4 seed, losing to the Wizards represents a significant missed opportunity.

Despite Cade Cunningham’s 38-point performance, the Wizards outperformed Detroit in nearly every statistical category. Washington shot 47.8% from behind the arc while outrebounding the Pistons 47-41.

“When you give any NBA team belief, on any given night, anybody can win,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the loss. “Give them credit to them for coming back and competing the way they did, but that’s one we have to eat because we didn’t do our job.

“The urgency on the defense end for us just wasn’t there. … These games suck with the outcome, but sometimes you got to learn the hard way.”

As the Pistons prepare for Saturday’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder (54-12), they have just 15 games remaining in the regular season, leaving them with a very narrow margin for error.

Losing to the Wizards was humiliating, but there is a silver lining that could lead to the Pistons displaying their resiliency, which is one of the key attributes contributing to Detroit’s first winning season in six years.

“Pretty much everybody [spoke up],” we knew we didn’t do our job tonight. We knew we didn’t handle business, so everybody was disappointed,” Isaiah Stewart said. “I would just say it’s a lesson for us. We want to hang our hat on playing Detroit basketball every night and being consistent with that. We just didn’t do that tonight, and hopefully, we learn from that.”

The last embarrassing loss that rivaled that of the Wizards came on Dec. 19. The Pistons lost 126-119 at home to the Utah Jazz. With Collin Sexton scoring a season-best 30 points, Detroit allowed the Jazz to shoot 50.0% on 3-point field goals while winning the battle of the boards 62-39.

Utah had come into the game losers in eight out of their previous nine games. The Pistons left their home court feeling frustrated, and the post-game locker room atmosphere was somber.

“That game against the Jazz was a growth game for us,” Bickerstaff said. “At that time, we saw a team with a certain record, and we thought we could just show up and figure it out in the fourth quarter. But they came out and kicked our butts in the first quarter. We gave up 48 points in that first quarter. We allowed them to get open shots.

After the disappointment, the franchise found a renewed focus. Two nights later, the Pistons bounced back with a 133-125 victory on the road against the Phoenix Suns. This win sparked a revival for Detroit, propelling them to hold the league’s fourth-best record at 26-12 since Dec. 21, just before a subpar performance against the Wizards three months later.

“It was a moment for us to understand how important each and every game is,” Bickerstaff said. “It was an eye-opening moment for us. I think we have grown since then. We understand the importance of every single game. Time over time, our guys have shown that.”

The Pistons have no time to dwell on the slippage they experienced against the Wizards. They have the fourth-hardest schedule to close the regular season, with upcoming contests against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.

The Pistons are still in a solid position to reach the No. 4 seed and have homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs. A goal that may become more attainable due to insights gained from an embarrassing experience with the Wizards.

“We knew we didn’t do our job,” Stewart said. “We knew we didn’t handle business. Everybody was disappointed.”