The Detroit Pistons led for just 27 seconds in the first half Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Also in the first half, they had more fouls than made shots, which led to them trailing by double digits prior to a Daniss Jenkins 34-foot buzzer beater to end the first half.
Still, the Pistons had enough gas left in the tank on the second night of a back-to-back to claw their way to a win over the Charlotte Hornets, 97-89, at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 29.
“We got familiar with ourselves again,” Pistons Head Coach JB Bickerstaff said after the game. “We get our mojo when it is gritty, when it is nasty. That’s where our guys thrive.”
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with a team-high 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting. He also added seven assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals. Three other Pistons – Paul Reed, starting in place of the injured Jalen Duren; Daniss Jenkins; and Duncan Robinson – also scored in double figures.
Kevin Huerter made his defensive presence felt against Hornets leading man Brandon Miller. Miller, the fourth-year wing, has scored more points against the Pistons than any opponent he’s faced in his career, but across 1:25 of tracked matchup time, Huerter held Miller to 1-for-6 shooting from the field, while Miller went 0-for-1 from beyond the arc in the process. Miller still scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Hornets on the night.
“That was Pistons basketball to me. To be able to win ugly, that’s something we’ve been able to do, and tonight that’s what it took,” Bickerstaff added.
The Pistons got down by as many as 12 points before they were able to claw their way back to just their second lead of the game, a 57-56 advantage on a Cade Cunningham three pointer with 7:04 left in the third.
But riding the fuel of Jenkins’ buzzer-beater to end the second quarter, Detroit opened the third quarter on a 16-5 run that allowed them to maintain their rugged, stingy style. The Pistons also forced eight Charlotte turnovers in the period.
Cunningham had timely baskets during the run, which fueled the Pistons to a turnaround on both ends of the court. They were able to stretch their lead to double-digits for the first time when he opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back midrange baskets to push the lead to 80-70, and Charlotte never got much closer after that.
The Pistons, who were coming off their first loss of the season to the NBA-champion New York Knicks on the road, are now 4-1 on the season. They play the Brooklyn Nets on the road Friday.