Story by
Hornets Collapse in Third Quarter, Fall 124-91 to Pistons
- Story by
- Hornets Collapse in Third Quarter, Fall 124-91 to Pistons
(Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
Cade Cunningham scored 17 of his season-high 33 points in the third quarter Monday night, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-91 at Spectrum Center.
It was the second meeting between the teams in six days. Detroit won the first one 97-89 last Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena. Naz Reid did not play the second half of that game after Hornets coach Charles Lee benched him at halftime .
Advertisement
Charlotte has now lost seven straight to the Pistons, according to the team. At 3-5, the Hornets have dropped four in a row. Detroit is 6-1 and has won three straight.
Cunningham, a First-Team All-NBA selection last season, shot 13-of-20, made 4 3-pointers, and added 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals in 26:39. Duncan Robinson scored 24 on 8-of-11 shooting. Ausar Thompson had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Paul Reed and Ronald Holland II scored 11 apiece.
Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting, with 4 assists. Reid had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Grayson Allen and Sion James each scored 11.
Coby White made his season debut after straining his left calf in training camp. He went 3-of-9 for 7 points and had 3 assists in 15:55.
Advertisement
Hornets Lead Early
Allen hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter, and his free throws with 3:03 left put Charlotte ahead 17-15. He had 8 points in the period. Holland answered with a 3-pointer 13 seconds later, and Detroit closed the quarter ahead 27-24.
Miller scored on back-to-back possessions early in the second, and the Hornets led 30-27. With 7:36 left in the half, Reed's driving hook gave Detroit a 35-34 lead, and the Pistons never trailed again.
All seven lead changes and all five ties came in the first half.
Detroit shot 15-of-20 in the second quarter, won it 38-30, and took a 65-54 lead into the locker room. Miller scored 11 of his 17 in the period.
Advertisement
Detroit Pulls Away in the Third
Down 11 at the half, Charlotte got within 79-75 when Dennis Schröder scored on a driving layup off a James assist with 4:58 to go in the third. The Hornets did not score again in the quarter, and Detroit led 98-75 going into the fourth.
Cunningham went 8-of-11 in the third quarter.
Lee thought the Hornets did some really good things to get within four.
"Credit to some of their guys — they hit some shots," Lee said. "Cunningham went on a little spurt there that really sparked their run."
"Couple of them we could be a little bit better defensively, but a couple of them were just isolation, off-the-dribble three, a spin move through traffic with a right-hand finish and stuff," Lee continued. "Made a couple subs and couldn't execute offensively."
Advertisement
Benches Clear in the Fourth
Kevin Huerter's 30-foot 3-pointer with 8:50 left made it 106-77. Lee then sent in Hannes Steinbach, Christian Anderson, and Liam McNeeley, along with Royce O'Neale. Anderson scored 8 points in the fourth on 3-of-5 shooting.
Cunningham did not play in the quarter. Detroit's lead peaked at 33, and with 7:58 left, John Collins was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on Tidjane Salaün.
Charlotte played without Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams, both out with hamstring strains. Knueppel has not played this season . The announced crowd was 18,760.
The Hornets make their second one-game road trip of the season Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Brooklyn Nets , with a 7:30 p.m. ET tip. Brooklyn earned its first win of the season Sunday at Indiana. Since the start of last season, Charlotte is 3-1 against the Nets and 2-1 at Barclays Center.
