What: Charlotte Hornets (2-5) (1-3 home) vs Detroit Pistons (3-5) (2-2 away)
When: 7:00pm Eastern
Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Association (white), Pistons–Statement (black)
Game Lines: Hornets -1.5, Hornets money line -120, O/U 222.5
Injuries:
Hornets: Cody Martin-probable (illness), LaMelo Ball-questionable (ankle), Mark Williams-out (foot), Nick Richards-out (ribs), DaQuan Jeffires-out (hand)
Pistons: Ausar Thompson-out (return to play conditioning), Bob Klintman-out (calf)
The Hornets are coming off their worst game of the season in which they largely looked uncompetitive against the Timberwolves. The Pistons meanwhile are rolling. After an 0-4 start, they’ve won three of their last four. Their most recent win was a rather comfortable one against a full strength Lakers team.
They’re led by former number one overall pick Cade Cunningham. The Oklahoma State product is averaging 23.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game with much improved shooting splits over his first three years in the league. Jaden Ivey has looked more like the player he was supposed to be coming out of Purdue, and vets Tim Hardaway Jr, Tobias Harris, and Malik Beasley are providing competent play around them. Everyone’s favorite almost-draft pick Jalen Duren is averaging a point below a double double.
The Pistons have been a little bit better on defense than on offense to start the season, so hopefully the Hornets can finally start to string together some stops. The Hornets have the worst defense in the league, and that’s not something Charles Lee is going to be happy about. The Pistons haven’t forced a lot of turnovers and have been mediocre at limiting opponent 3-point attempts, so that at least bodes well for the Hornets ability to put points on the board if they make their open looks.
The Hornets need Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges to find their respective grooves. The offense has been almost entirely dependent on LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, and that’s not a way to regularly win basketball games. They’ll be without their top two centers again, so the entire team needs to crash the glass to limit offensive rebounds to a Detroit team that’s been pretty good at tracking them down so far this season.
