Bobcats at Pistons
THE STORY: Two teams with little momentum between them do battle in Detroit on Wednesday night as the punchless Pistons entertain the woeful Charlotte Bobcats. The Pistons came out of the All-Star break worse than any other team to hit the court Tuesday evening, shooting less than 32 percent from the field and committing 22 turnovers in a 97-68 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. A bounce-back may be in order as Detroit hosts a Bobcats team that has dropped 18 of 19 games heading into the break.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (4-28): With Charlotte one of the most banged-up teams in the league so far - having racked up 91 man-games lost due to injury - the club finally received some good news over the break. Veteran forward Corey Maggette was diagnosed with inflammation and swelling in his right knee and could return Wednesday night. It was originally feared that Maggette, second on the team at 13.5 points per game, had suffered a torn meniscus that may have required season-ending surgery.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (11-25): The scoring woes have returned to the Motor City. Detroit looked like it had turned an offensive corner - averaging more than 100 points in its previous five contests - but ran into a staunch Sixers defense that limited the Pistons to 34 points in each half. Detroit forward Tayshaun Prince suggested the team was "still on vacation," while head coach Lawrence Frank was equally blunt when addressing the spate of turnovers. "When you see a team with 17 steals, it is pretty obvious what happened," he said.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Charlotte could get leading scorer Gerald Henderson back Wednesday. The club's leading scorer at 15 points per game, Henderson returned to practice Monday after missing the last nine contests with a strained hamstring.
2. Detroit won the only previous meeting between the teams, cruising to a 98-81 victory back on Jan. 13.
3. Pistons C Greg Monroe has averaged 21.2 points over his last five games.