The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets clearly still have some bad blood leftover from their February brawl, and it briefly resurfaced in Detroit's 118-100 win tonight
In order for the Detroit Pistons to hit the 60-win threshold for only the third time in franchise history, the team needed to win each of their final contests, both on the road, against the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers to hit that mark.
On Friday night, the Pistons were able to take care of business in the first leg of that two-part affair with a 118-100 win over the Hornets at the Spectrum Center. As a result of the double-digit win, Detroit also succeeded in sweeping the Hornets across the three games the two sides played against each other this season.
Of course, the Pistons and Hornets were each caught red-handed during February’s mid-game brawl, so tonight’s matchup also marked the first meeting between the two teams since that time. And although the contest was not as firework-filled as the prior meeting, there was still palpable bad blood between the two teams.
Early on, Duncan Robinson, who went on to score 19 points in the game, took a bit of an exception to Brandon Miller’s celebration after a transition dunk. Robinson and Miller went chest-to-chest for a moment, but nothing materialized in the end. Later on, LaMelo Bell had a few choice words for Isaiah Stewart after the Hornets guard knocked down one of his many three-pointers on the night.
So, if the Pistons draw the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs, buckle up because that series would be laced with an overwhelming amount of hostility based on the signs from tonight’s game. But despite those tensions, the Pistons were able to clamp down defensively in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice by holding Charlotte to just 10 points in the final frame.
From an offensive perspective, Jalen Duren added 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists, falling just short of a double-double on the night. However, the Pistons did improve to 32-6 on the season when the first-time All-Star scores at least 20 points, so Detroit can hang their hat on the fact that JD is playing well heading into the postseason.
In his second game back from his lung injury, Cade Cunningham picked his spots as he worked back into the lineup with 14 points, seven assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal in 28 minutes of action against the Hornets. After the Pistons defeated the Bucks two nights ago, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the team would be handling Cunningham with caution as the playoffs approach, so his relatively light workload tonight was simply a byproduct of that safety-first decision.
Outside of those two performances, the Pistons benefited from a dynamic Ron Holland surge in the first half. During one particular instance, Holland drilled a three-pointer, finished at the rim in transition and then threw down a monstrous slam dunk on the fastbreak on three successive plays. That 7-0 run helped the Pistons develop an edge early on, and the second-year forward broke into double figures with 13 points and five rebounds on the night.
Now at 59-22 on the regular season, the Pistons have a day off before traveling to Indiana for a Central Division showdown against the Pacers, which is scheduled for 6 pm on Sunday, April 12.
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