Hornets Take Care of Business vs Shorthanded Pistons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Another game, another win. The Charlotte Hornets won their fifth straight Monday night, 117-106 over the Detroit Pistons.

After dropping the first two games of the season series versus Detroit, Charlotte came out ready to play, particularly offensively. The Pistons were without 80% of its starting lineup and it showed in the early going. The Hornets were getting several open looks on the perimeter and got the ball to the middle of the paint with ease.

In the first quarter alone, the Hornets went a perfect 7/7 from three-point range. LaMelo Ball hit four consecutive threes in the first five minutes of the game, one of which was from 30 feet out. Terry Rozier sinked a pair of threes himself and Gordon Hayward also had an efficient 4/4 start from the field to help the Hornets to a 41-point frame.

On the opposite side, Detroit couldn't buy a shot in the first half, going 2/18 from three and shot a measly 34% from the floor. Fortunately for them, Charlotte went just 2/11 to start the second quarter, which put a temporary stop to the bleeding but still found themselves down 65-46 at the break.

The lone bright spot in the half for the Pistons was the play of James Wiseman, who notched 16 points on 7/9 shooting to go along with four rebounds. Detroit recently acquired the former No. 2 overall pick from the Golden State Warriors ahead of the NBA trade deadline earlier this month.

The Hornets endured a scary moment in the opening minutes of the third quarter when LaMelo Ball went down to the ground with an no-contact ankle injury. A few minutes after he went back to the locker room, the team ruled him out for the remainder of the game.

Detroit took advantage of Ball's absence closing out the third strong and then scoring the first nine points of the fourth to make it a 92-85 game. That was, however, as close as the Pistons would get.

The Hornets will be back in action Wednesday night, hosting the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST.

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