Charlotte Hornets hit the Motor City with their eyes on securing the season series against the Detroit Pistons

Previewing this afternoon's contest.

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

INJURY REPORT

Charlotte Hornets: OUT -Tre Mann (Back), Grant Williams (Knee), Brandon Miller (Wrist), Josh Okogie (Hamstring), Josh Green (Calf) QUESTIONABLE - Nick Smith Jr. (Back)

Detroit Pistons: OUT - Jaden Ivey (Lower Leg)

Game Preview

The Hornets (13-36) are finally on the road again after a nine-game home stand, this time for an Eastern Conference showdown against the Detroit Pistons (26-26). This will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between these two squads. Charlotte won both of their home matchups earlier in the season, but the Pistons took the most recent matchup which was in Detroit.

The Hornets come into the matchup having gone just 2-7 during the home stand. Most recently though, the Hornets were able to defeat a dangerous Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs team with a game-winning shot from Miles Bridges.

On the other side, the Pistons have gone from basement dwellers of the NBA over the last few years to a .500 team who surprisingly sits at the current 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Over Detroit’s first five games of their current home stand, the team is 3-2 with three solid wins and two close losses.

Key Matchup - LaMelo Ball vs Cade Cunningham 

The two young point guards are not only the stars of their respective teams, but also budding superstars league-wide.Both players are former premium draft picks whose performances directly correlate with the overall success of their teams. LaMelo Ball is currently averaging 28.0 points per game, the fourth-highest mark in the league. When three MVP-caliber players are the only ones ahead of a player, they are absolutely one of the most dangerous scorers in the league.

Ball supplements his premium scoring with 7.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. Cunningham is currently 11th in the league in scoring amongst qualified leaders at 25.6 points per game. He actually ranks even higher when it comes to dishing the rock where he is third in the league with an impressive 9.4 assists per game.

Basketball is a team sport and the outcome of the game will obviously be decided by more than just these two young guards. Whichever of them is able to outperform the other will surely give their team a much stronger chance at coming away with the victory. 

Projected Starting Lineups

Charlotte Hornets	Detroit Pistons
LaMelo Ball	Cade Cunningham
Nick Smith Jr.	Tim Hardaway Jr.
DaQuan Jeffries	Ausar Thompson
Miles Bridges	Tobias Harris
Moussa Diabate	Jalen Duren

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