The resurgent Detroit Pistons defeated the Charlotte Hornets on their home court at Little Caesars Arena, 112-102, for their second straight victory, moving them back above .500 at 27-26.
The Pistons controlled the game and led by as many as 28 in the first half and did not let the Hornets get closer than 14 points until the final frame, when a 17-2 extended run to open the quarter made it a one possession game, 92-90. Detroit escaped with the win using a 13-4 surge, leading by 11 with under three minutes to go.
After missing Friday’s blowout win over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers with a right ankle sprain that he injured Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cade Cunningham returned for Sunday’s matinee and came up with his eighth triple-double of the season, 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. But he had plenty of help with four of his teammates also scoring in double figures. Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 20 points, and second-year player Ausar Thompson filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, Malik Beasley had 17 points and big man Jalen Duren contributed a double-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six helpers.
Trade deadline acquisitions Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters were also available to play for the first time, with Schröder making his debut and finishing with five points and three assists in nearly 15 minutes. Michigan State Spartan alumnus and Flint native Miles Bridges led the Hornets, who were without LaMelo Ball, with a game-high 27 points and nine rebounds. Seth Curry added 26 points.
Ball (ankle) and Nick Smith Jr. (back) were downgraded from questionable to out about an hour prior to tipoff. Moussa Diabate excited the game early in the second quarter after being inadvertently hit in the face by Isaiah Stewart under the basket.
Thompson initially helped the Pistons keep their foot on the gas in the second half. A crucial moment came when he got in the paint for a layup and drew a foul; he missed the free throw in the potential three-point play but rebounded his own miss for another bunny to open up a seemingly insurmountable 24-point lead. A Cunningham-to-Duren alley-oop on the following possession pushed their lead to 26, 72-46, with 11 minutes remaining in the third.
The Hornets were not done by a longshot, with a 27-15 run to slice it to 87-73 before Beasley’s fifth 3-pointer pushed the lead back to 17 heading into the final period.
The momentum continued to shift in the Hornets favor in the fourth, with the Pistons’ first field goal of the quarter not coming until the 6:52 mark, when Cunningham buried a shot from midrange after they bricked their first eight attempts. Schröder sank his first field goal as a Piston the following possession, knocking down a 3 to extend the lead to 97-90 midway through the period.
The Hornets opened the fourth shooting a red-hot 7-for-9 overall, and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, but an offensive rebound and putback by Duren with just over four minutes to play gave the Pistons a 101-92 cushion. Two free throws by Cunningham extended it to double-digits once again with under four minutes left, and a Duren layup with 2:46 remaining made the score 105-94 and iced the win.
There is not rest for the weary and the Hornets are back in action on Monday when they visit the Brooklyn Nets in the second of nine straight road games. The Pistons play in the ‘Windy City’, Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.
