WASHINGTON — The flashes have flickered from Verizon Center before. The nights when the Washington Wizards turn a season of groans into sighs of relief, and even thoughts of what could be: the first win over the Atlanta Hawks (Nov.?4), the beat-down against the Boston Celtics (Nov. 9), the slump buster thanks to the New York Knicks (Nov. 17). But these were passing moments.

Every time the Wizards have led fans to believe that they've found a rhythm to the season, the flashes fade away. A spark of life — then it's gone.

Maybe that's why after the 122-108 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, the Wizards' fourth win in five games, forward Markieff Morris hesitated. Asked whether he felt the Wizards (11-14) had turned the proverbial corner, Morris initially responded with a shrug. Then even he couldn't ignore the radiant light of the Wizards' progress.

“You can call it what you want,” Morris said, then added: “You can call it that — we're turning the corner, yeah.”

The record remains below the .500 mark. The defense still surrenders 100-plus to opponents. The starters still perform a dead lift every night, carrying most of the weight because the bench simply can't. And yet the Wizards are playing their best basketball of the season. While the 109-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night showed their balance — six Wizards scored in double figures even with Morris, a regular starter, sidelined — Friday night should be considered Washington's best offensive display in 25 games.

Coach Scott Brooks might want to tape the box score to his refrigerator. Not only did his Wizards score a season-high 122 points, they did so against one of the stingiest defensive teams in the NBA. Before Friday night, the Pistons had allowed the second-fewest points per game at 95.7 — and yet the Wizards had reached that mark by the end of the third quarter. Also, Brooks' backcourt once again realized its vast potential by combining for 54 points on 60 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point arc.

“I think we're getting into a nice little rhythm that we're understanding what we want to do as a basketball team on both ends,” Brooks said. “We're still not where we need to be, but I see some progress, I see some belief in each other, and that's what it's about.”

While John Wall and Bradley Beal held a master class in shooting for the announced 15,573, their teammates didn't simply stand around and watch in awe. Throughout the roster, players filled their roles.

Wall and Beal would not have gotten so many clean looks without center Marcin Gortat, the NBA leader in “screen assists.”

“He's turning into our best screener,” Brooks affirmed.

As Morris was limited with early foul trouble, Kelly Oubre Jr. played starter's minutes (33:42) and contributed seven points and six rebounds.

“He's growing up in front of our eyes,” Brooks said.

And Otto Porter Jr., who quietly plays as the measuring stick for the Wizards' success, made three of four shots from beyond the arc and added eight rebounds to go with 15 points.

These are the performances that have led to four straight home wins.

On Dec. 6, most of the Wizards bolted from the locker room before answering for an inexcusable 124-116 loss to the Orlando Magic. That game could easily fill the season's lowlight reel, in spite of Wall's career-high 52 points. But Brooks points to a pair of road games that helped unify the Wizards. Starting Nov. 30, Washington opened a three-game trip with an overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, then followed that with an achingly close call against the San Antonio Spurs.

“Sometimes those tough losses, they help you,” Brooks said. “You don't like to go through it, but on the road when we had those two basically last-second losses, we came together. You can either fall apart and blame each other, but we came together and that's a good sign of a good group of guys that I work with.”

After Friday night, it might be wise to follow Morris' gut reaction and avoid blustery proclamations. The Wizards have won before, only to backslide on the defensive end and pile up more head-scratching losses. However, over the past five games, they've consistently played just well enough on the defensive end to hold opponents through critical stretches. Now inside the Verizon Center home locker room, they can feel the flicker strengthening.

Note: The Wizards recalled guard Sheldon McClellan from the Delaware 87ers of the D-League.