The Charlotte Hornets came in to Sunday’s game on a four game winning streak, and battling for playoff positioning with Miami and Indiana in a tight Eastern Conference race. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons had dropped five in a row, essentially removing themselves from the playoff hunt.
The Pistons controlled momentum for much of the second half, holding a 62-54 lead at the half. That was all she wrote for Detroit however, as the Hornets outscored them 54-39 in the second half.
Lance Stephenson provided a crucial spark for the Hornets in the fourth quarter, as he scored all nine of his points in the period, even draining a contested three-point shot (yes, you read that correctly). Al Jefferson and Mo Williams were, once again, the fuel to the fire for Charlotte, as Jefferson finished with 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting and eight rebounds. Williams had 21 points and nine assists. Gerald Henderson nearly notched a triple-double with 13 points, six rebounds, and 9 assists. Charlotte seemed wildly proficient on offense shooting 51.9% from the field compared to their season average of 42.7%.
It was a good second half defensively as well for the Hornets, as they held Reggie Jackson in check, after allowing him to score 21 points in the first half.
The Hornets next take the floor Monday night at home against the Washington Wizards when the Hornets will try to make it six in a row for the first time since 2010. The Wizards have struggled mightily of late, and the Hornets have gotten the best of them in both of their meetings so far this season. Look for lots of back-court play from the Wizards, as John Wall and Bradley Beal will try to jump-start the Washington offense. As for Charlotte, look for plenty of Al Jefferson in the low-post, as usual, the team will try to run things through Big Al as much as possible, with shooters and slashers moving off of the ball.
The Hornets know they need to keep up their winning ways to keep pace in the Eastern Conference standings tonight, energy may be a concern, as the Hornets will be playing the tail-end of a back-to-back.
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