Hornets Collapse in Third Quarter, Fall 124-91 to Pistons

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.