What: Charlotte Hornets (13-36) (4-16 away) at Detroit Pistons (26-26) (13-13 home)
When: 1:00pm Eastern
Where: Little Caesars Arena; Detroit, MI
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Association (white), Pistons–Icon (blue)
Game Lines: Hornets +9.5, Hornets money line +360, O/U 224.5
Injuries:
Hornets: Mark Williams-questionable (trade?), Jusuf Nurkic-questionable (trade), Nick Smith Jr.-questionable (back), Josh Green-out (calf), Josh Okogie-out (hamstring), Brandon Miller-out (wrist), Tre Mann-out (back), Grant Williams-out (knee)
Pistons: Cade Cunningham-probable (ankle), Dennis Schroder-questionable (trade), Lindy Waters III-questionable (trade), Jaden Ivey-out (leg)
If there’s one game to look forward to on this fine Sunday, it’s the Charlotte Hornets vs the Detroit Pistons in the early afternoon. Nothing else to pay attention to today.
It’s kind of hard to predict what these teams are going to look like. The Pistons are waiting for a couple of new players from trades made at the deadline. The Hornets should be getting reinforcements from Jusuf Nurkic soon, but the situation with Mark Williams has made that feel a little more tenuous. Williams is back with the team after his trade to the Lakers was rescinded because of “medical issues.” I don’t know if he’ll jump right back into the lineup or if there are going to be logistical issues that keep him out. Who knows where he even is right now. He might still be in Los Angeles.
The Pistons have dragged themselves out of the league’s basement and now find themselves wherever is just above that. They’re sitting squarely at .500 and would be the 6 seed in the East if the season ended today. They got really hot in December through the early parts of January but have since cooled off just a touch.
They’re a bit weirdly constructed for where they are in their ascent. Cade Cunningham is the centerpiece, and he’s justifying his first career all star nod with the best stretch of play in his career. After Cunningham and with Ivey out, their next three players are 28 year old Malik Beasley, 32 year old Tobias Harris, and 32 year old Tim Hardaway Jr. Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson provide some youthful upside, but neither has shown a leap in productivity after their rookie seasons.
The Hornets are 2-1 against the Pistons this season, but they lost the most recent meeting in an ugly 98-94 contest. Vasilije Micic, Josh Green, Cody Martin, and Nick Richards all played a significant part in that game. None will be a part of this one because of injury (Green) or being traded away (the others). The Hornets are pretty heavy underdogs, but I do think they have an okay chance of being competitive.
