Hornets 118, Pistons 103
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Marvin Williams had 22 points and five 3-pointers and the Charlotte Hornets stretched their winning streak to six with a 118-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
Williams scored 11 points in the first quarter as the Hornets raced to a 19-point lead in the first half and never trailed.
The Hornets (36-28) have won 12 of their last 14. They entered the game in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference standings and clinched a tiebreaker over the Pistons, who began the game at No. 8.
Kemba Walker finished with 16 points as his streak of four games of 30 or more points ended. He was 3 of 11 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
Nicolas Batum added 17 points and 11 assists.
The Hornets also got 15 points from Courtney Lee, 12 from Al Jefferson and 10 each from Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky.
The Pistons (33-32) had won two straight and six of their previous eight.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Pistons with 24 points and Reggie Jackson and Tobias Harris scored 20 apiece.
Andre Drummond, who came into the game averaging 16.8 points and 15.1 rebounds, got into early foul trouble and finished with five points and nine rebounds. He only took one shot from the field in the entire game.
Charlotte led 38-32 after one quarter, thanks to five 3-pointers and 61.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Hornets then pushed the lead to 19 in the second quarter before settling for a 69-53 halftime lead.
Detroit cut the margin to 88-81 after three quarters and got within six in the fourth quarter before Charlotte pulled back away.
NOTES: The Hornets won the only previous meeting this season, 108-84 on Dec. 7 in Charlotte. The teams play one more time, at Detroit on March 25. ... The Hornets' five-game winning streak was their second of the season. They hadn't won six straight since March 2010. ... The Hornets signed G Jorge Gutierrez for the remainder of the season after his second 10-day contract expired. In three games, Gutierrez was averaging three points and one assist. ... C Spencer Hawes (back) remains out for the Hornets but has started practicing again and should be back sometime next week. ... Pistons C Andre Drummond came into the game leading the NBA in rebounding at 15.1 and in double-doubles with 54. ... With the addition of F Tobias Harris, the Pistons are the fourth-youngest team in the NBA. ... Hornets coach Steve Clifford was an assistant under Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy in Orlando from 2007 to 2012.