Pistons at Hornets
The Detroit Pistons swept a four-game homestand and try to carry the
success on the road when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
Detroit wrapped up the strong run with a 111-91 rout of the Los Angeles
Lakers on Sunday and now faces a hot Charlotte team that has won six of
its past eight games.
All four teams the Pistons beat during the homestand are below .500 but coach Stan Van Gundy isn't concerned with that. "To get all four is obviously good," Van Gundy said after the win over Los Angeles. "(Monday) is going to be a challenge because we're going on the road on the second half of a back-to-back and we're playing a team that's one of the best in the league on both ends." The Hornets are committing a league-low 11.8 turnovers per game and are 8-3 at home. During their current eight-game hot stretch, Charlotte's losses have come against the teams that played in last season's NBA Finals — Golden State and Cleveland.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (12-9): Off-guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a season-best 22 points and was 9-of-14 shooting against the Lakers. It marked the third time this season that the defensive-minded Caldwell-Pope scored 20 or more points, and two of them have occurred in the past five games. "I'm happy for him, especially for somebody who is very instrumental on our defense and somebody who takes on the challenge of facing the best guard each and every night," point guard Reggie Jackson told reporters. "He's been a little frustrated with his shots not falling. It was great to see him get his offense going, get a little flow. Hopefully, that helps clear his mind."
ABOUT THE HORNETS (11-8): Center Al Jefferson (calf) will miss his third straight game and is expected to be out at least two more weeks. His absence frees up playing time for third-year pro Cody Zeller, and the former Indiana standout was up to the task with a season-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds in Saturday's win over the Bulls. "I just wanted to come in aggressive and be physical," Zeller told reporters. "We kind of lacked physicality (in Wednesday's loss) against Golden State. So it was a focus for our whole team. We came with a lot of energy."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split four meetings last season and Detroit's two victories were by an average of 33.5 points.
2. Pistons C Andre Drummond had 18 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday for his league-leading 19th double-double.
3. Charlotte F Marvin Williams is 5-of-21 from the field over the past two games.