Bobcats 108, Pistons 96
Al Jefferson had 32 points, 12 rebounds and a season high-tying seven assists to lead visiting Charlotte past Detroit in the first half of a back-to-back set.
Kemba Walker scored 22 points for the Bobcats, who shot 52 percent and had 25 assists against only seven turnovers. Josh McRoberts chipped in 14 points while Gerald Henderson and Ramon Sessions added 12 apiece.
Brandon Jennings led the Pistons with 24 points while Andre Drummond finished with 16 points and a career high-tying 22 rebounds, helping the hosts gain a 52-43 advantage on the boards. Greg Monroe had 18 points and 10 boards for Detroit, which received 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting from its bench.
The Pistons trimmed a 19-point third-quarter deficit down to 12 entering the fourth and Will Bynum's jumper two minutes into the final stanza cut the margin to 82-73. Jennings tried to get Detroit closer with seven straight points late in the game, but the deficit never got smaller than eight as McRoberts hit a big 3-pointer and Jefferson had four consecutive hoops down the stretch.
Jefferson scored on the game's first shot and Charlotte never trailed, building an 11-point lead after one quarter and settling for a 54-43 halftime advantage after shooting 58.3 percent. Jefferson had back-to-back layups to spark an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 67-49 five minutes into the third.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Drummond recorded his third 20-rebound game of the season. ... Jefferson has amassed at least 30 points and 10 rebounds five times in the past nine games. ... Charlotte has won the first two meetings and aims for the season series sweep Wednesday at home.