Takeaways From a Tense, Playoff-Like Contest Between the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons

The Charlotte Hornets’ nine-game win streak wasn’t going to get snapped without a fight.

Detroit ended Charlotte’s run with a 110-104 victory that will be remembered for what happened in the third quarter instead of the wicked display of shot making both teams put on down the stretch.

On the brawl: basketball is an extremely physical and emotional game, and tonight’s contest between the Pistons and the Hornets had something extra to it from the opening tip. Charlotte, the scrappy upstart, was looking to cement their status as a contender in the East against the team who has bullied the conference for the majority of the season.

In the emotionally-charged game, both teams committed hard fouls, and the referees failed at their job at easing the boiling tensions before they spilled over.

Jalen Duren and Moussa Diabatè started the fracas after Duren took exception to a Diabatè foul in the paint, and Stewart and Bridges inserted themselves into the fray to stand up for their heated teammates.

Did it go too far? Yeah, no doubt. Can I understand why it did? Also yeah.

That’s it for that - let’s talk hoop.

Below is a series of thoughts, stats, and highlights from the game bundled into a neat package called the four-point play.

1 Highlight of the Night

Sion James beats the buzzer

The Hornets were on the ropes midway through the first quarter. Detroit's stifiling defense had humbled Charlotte's red hot offense and the captain of the Hornets' attack was sidelined with foul trouble.

Enter Sion James.

Although he did have a pair of ugly turnovers in the opening stanza, James also nailed a pair of triples to cusion Charlotte's first quarter advantage, including this half court heave to end the quarter.

.@SionJames14 beats the BUZZERRR ⏰@Lowes | 🎥 @FDSN_Hornets pic.twitter.com/Dywj6WU9ZK
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 10, 2026

2 Game-Defining Statistics

Charlotte’s 19-5 three-pointer advantage
Charlotte's 84.8 half court offensive rating

The three-point shot is the great equalizer in the modern NBA, and the Hornets' prowess from behind the arc is the primary reason they were able to keep pace with the best team in the Eastern Conference.

A barrage of long-range makes from LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel, was Charlotte's primary source of offense in a game dominated by Detroit's physicality on both sides of the ball. The trio of Hornets was especially adept at hunting those three-point looks in transition before the Pistons could set their stifling half court defense.

Charlotte's inability to create clean looks in the half court against Detroit was once again a problem.

The Pistons boast the NBA's second-best half court defense, and their deep stable of game-wrecking wings flexed their mighty muscle in Charlotte tonight. The Hornets turned the ball over 22 times, much to the chagrin of their head coach, and although they made it rain from deep, Charlotte couldn't sustain enough offense in set situations to run their win streak to ten.

Charles Lee on what he learned about his team in tonight’s 110-104 loss to the Pistons.

Just an absurd night of basketball (and other things) at the Spectrum Center. pic.twitter.com/srEkWBqvRr
— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) February 10, 2026

3 Players of the Game

Brandon Miller: 24 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block, 8/18 shooting
Kon Knueppel: 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, one block, 6/13 shooting
LaMelo Ball: 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, 8/22 shooting

The Hornets' nine-game winning streak was defined by the sheer number of high-level contributions they got up and down their roster from night-to-night, whereas tonight's loss was defined by the superstars.

Ball, Miller, and Knueppel perservered through Detroit's gauntlet of a defense and nearly did enough to sneak out a win in front of a raucous home crowd.

Miller's ability to spark runs for the Hornets is approaching superstar levels.

With Charlotte down 18-11 midway through the first quarter and a defensive-minded lineup of Sion James, Miller, Josh Green, Grant Williams, and Ryan Kalkbrenner on the floor, the onus was on Brandon to carry the load.

He answered the call with a self-created 8-0 run to give Charlotte the lead that included a made three-pointer, a tough floater, and a slick off-hand look-away pass into Grant Williams' shooting pocket that led to a three from the veteran forward.

4 Takeaways from the Loss

1. The Hive was alive

The Spectrum Center was deafening tonight.

Charlotte’s crowd is amazing. Holy hell
— Wosny Lambre (@BigWos) February 10, 2026

In a game that had a playoff-like intensity on the floor from the opening tip, the lively crowd met the moment, setting the stage for an awesome 48 minutes of basketball with some extracurriculars mixed in.

The city of Charlotte is ready for meaningful basketball to return to the Spectrum Center, and tonight was clear evidence of that unassailable fact.

2. Cade Cunningham is what they look like

They being era-defining superstar guards that singlehandedly change the fortunes of a franchise.

Every time the Hornets' crowd reached a fever pitch, ready to explode at any moment, Cunningham silenced them with surgical buckets from all over the floor. A number of Hornets drew the unenviable assignment of attempting to check a scorching hot Cunningham: Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, Sion James; and each of them were handed buckets by the All-NBA point guard.

& another one... pic.twitter.com/TZnVxXRFyw
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 10, 2026

Cade was brilliant, and he deserves his flowers for dragging his team to a gritty road win against a good team in Charlotte.

3. Highlight passes

I don't want to take LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel's creativity as passers for granted.

I've always been someone who appreciates a good pass more than the bucket it creates (shoutout to Derek Dixon's insane dime to open up Seth Trimble for the shot of a lifetime at the Dean Dome on Saturday), and getting to watch those two operate in Charlotte is an absolute treat.

How did Kon Knueppel not only see, but execute this pass with Isaiah Stewart all over him. pic.twitter.com/OtWSt6daKv
— James Plowright (@British_Buzz) February 10, 2026

4. Grant Williams: A winner

Grant Williams is the quintessential 'You love him if he's on your team, and you hate him if he's on your rival's team' player.

His successful plea to the referees in the second quarter to get a foul called on him instead of LaMelo Ball was brilliant. The charge he took on Ausar Thompson in the first half was a turning point, too.

Williams is a pest in the most endearing way, and the Hornets always seem to benefit from his minutes on the floor.