Hornets Take Care of Business, Crush Pistons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Hornets got back in the win column on Wednesday night with a 140-111 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons.
Charlotte was clicking on all cylinders early on hitting shots, creating good floor spacing/ball movement and forcing turnovers. LaMelo Ball hit on a pair of threes to open up the game which opened up the three-point barrage from the rest of his teammates. The Hornets connected on seven shots from deep in the first quarter, putting an end to the theme of slow starts with a 37-19 lead.
"The overall 19-point quarter in the first quarter is what I'm going to take with me," Hornets head coach James Borrego said. "We've got to start with that urgency, that effort and we've got to sustain it. That's the goal here. We've got to do it for four quarters and we've got to do it every night."
No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham notched 13 points in the first half, going 5/7 from the floor and 3/5 from deep. The Pistons also had some productive minutes from their bigs Trey Lyles and Micah Potter who combined for 17 points and seven boards in the first 24 minutes of play. Detroit found more success attacking the rim in the second quarter and was able to cut into the lead, making it a 65-51 game at the half.
The Pistons carried some of that momentum into the opening minutes of the 2nd half, but every time they got back within 10-12 points, the Hornets responded with a mini run of their own, extending the lead back to 20 plus.
Kelly Oubre Jr. went off in the fourth quarter hitting the first four field goals for the Hornets - all from three. He went on to hit eight threes in the quarter, finishing the night.
"When Kelly gets hot, it's tough to stop. He got going there and I thought he was fantastic, he made shots. I'm proud of him. Just to see him play with that joy, that spirit, that confidence - obviously a big-time fourth quarter there. I thought we shot it well tonight and Kelly was a major part of that.”
The Hornets will return to action inside Spectrum Center on Saturday night as they welcome in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
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