Grades: Detroit Pistons fall short to Charlotte Hornets
The Detroit Pistons (12-12) could not hang with the Charlotte Hornets (13-9) down the stretch Wednesday night in Charlotte. The Pistons lose 87-77 to the Hornets, snapping their three game away winning streak.
The Detroit Pistons (12-12) fell just short to the Charlotte Hornets (13-9) 87-77 Wednesday night in Charlotte. Points were at a premium all night for both squads until the Hornets managed to find the bottom of the basket in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons shot only 38 percent for the game, actually four percent higher than the Hornets. However, the Pistons defense was not able to force many turnovers, and therefore could not generate much offense on fast breaks.
The Pistons are now 2-4 on the second night of back-to-backs this season. Games with stat lines like this one usually reflect the fatigue that comes with no days of rest. There were plenty of shots that went up and shot off the front of the rim, or missed it completely; that is usually the sign of tired legs.
The Hornets struggled offensively for most of the game as well. It was not until the fourth quarter that Kemba Walker and Marco Belinelli came to life and buried the Pistons. Walker finished with a team high 25 points, and Belinelli added 13 points off the bench.
And here are your player grades for the Pistons:
Andre Drummond
C, Detroit Pistons
A-Andre Drummond was the lone bright spot for the Pistons Wednesday night. Drummond finished with a game-high 26 points and 20 rebounds. On a night that neither team could not buy a basket from the outside, Drummond was active inside to crash the defensive boards. What is most impressive about Drummond’s point total is that only two of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Therefore, the rest of his points came from his individual dominance in the paint on half-court sets.
Reggie Jackson
PG, Detroit Pistons
C-Reggie Jackson scored just 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Jackson looked most fatigued of all of the Pistons on the second night of this back-to-back. Stan Van Gundy mentioned in his postgame interview how Jackson was hesitant to drive through open lanes because he could not get his legs under him. It appears that it will take some time for Jackson to be back in game shape for the Pistons, and tonight is evidence of that.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SG, Detroit Pistons
D+Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was solid defensively most of the night, but that was the only solid part of his game. KCP was locked down on the offensive end all game, only scoring seven points in 37 minutes. Many of the Pistons missed shots were good, open looks, but KCP could not find any of that open space and only shot the ball nine times.
Marcus Morris
SF, Detroit Pistons
DStan Van Gundy said Marcus Morris was not feeling well coming into the game, which made him miss part of the first quarter. Whatever illness Morris was suffering from seemed to plague him throughout the night. Morris finished with just seven points on 3-for-10 shooting. Morris was a liability on defense much of the night as well, and had the worst +/- for the starters at -11.
Tobias Harris
PF, Detroit Pistons
C-Tobias Harris started relatively strong for the Pistons, but could not knock down much of anything down the stretch. He shot 7-for-19 from the floor for 14 points. Harris had plenty of open looks from beyond the arc but finished 0-for-7 from 3-point land.
Ish Smith
PG, Detroit Pistons
DReggie Jackson got the start tonight so Ish Smith once again reprised his role as backup point guard. However, with Reggie taken out toward the end of the fourth quarter, Smith was left to defend Kemba Walker down the stretch. Walker took over the game at this point and Smith was overmatched. Smith scored just two points on 1-for-7 shooting in 22 minutes.
Jon Leuer
PF, Detroit Pistons
DJon Leuer saw more minutes early on than normal because of the illness that forced Morris out in the first quarter. Leuer would only manage six points as he too struggled to knock down open shots. The Pistons lineup of Smith, KCP, Harris, Leuer, and Drummond that had been so successful over this last stretch of games was ineffective as no one could make their shots outside of Drummond.
Darrun Hilliard
SG, Detroit Pistons
D+Darrun Hilliard once again found his way into Van Gundy’s lineup Wednesday night against the Hornets. However, Hilliard only managed two points in 10 minutes as he struggled to keep up with the hot hand of Marco Belinelli in the fourth quarter.
Stan Van Gundy
Head Coach, Detroit Pistons
The Pistons will look to bounce back Friday in Minneapolis against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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