Buzz Bulletin: Kung Fu at the Cable Box
Fights, Ejections, and the End of a Streak as the Hornets fall to the Conference-leading Detroit Pistons 110-104 on Monday night.
Pistons Snap Hornets’ Winning Streak
The Detroit Pistons’ suffocating defense and dominance in the paint put an end to Charlotte Hornets’ longest winning streak in over 25 years.
The Pistons defeated the Hornets 110-104 Monday evening at Spectrum Arena, further cementing their standing as the class of the Eastern Conference and putting an end to Charlotte’s nine-game winning streak. Cade Cunningham nearly notched a triple double, finishing with a game-high 33 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Brandon Miller paced the Hornets with 24 points, with LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel each adding 20 points.
After starting the game 2 of 8 from the field with a handful of sloppy turnovers and finding themselves in an early 18-11 hole, the Hornets caught fire and could hardly miss the rest of the opening period, going 7 of 8 with six three point baskets to offset Detroit’s dominance in the paint and take a four-point lead into the second frame.
Charlotte’s red-hot outside shooting carried into the first few minutes of the second quarter, as they sank another six three-pointers on their way to a 55-47 lead. The Pistons, however, dominated the rest of the half as they continued to control the paint, finishing on a 14-2 run to head to the locker room with a four-point edge, 61-57, despite only shooting 2 of 13 from three.
The Hornets scored a quick five points to start the second half, taking a slim 62-61 lead before the Pistons responded with a 9-0 run to take an 8-point lead and prompt an early timeout by Hornets’ head coach Charles Lee. That’s where things got interesting.
Possible Suspensions Loom after Third Quarter Quarrel
With a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter, Moussa Diabate fouled Pistons’ starting center Jalen Duren as he drove towards the basket. Duren took exception and exchanged words with Diabate, sparking a melee that resulted in both players taking swings before being separated by teammates and coaches. Miles Bridges and Pistons sub Isaiah Stewart then got into a scuffle of their own, further extending the break in play. The melee resulted in all four players being ejected from the game.
When a player leaves the bench to fight when they’re not in the game, as Stewart did, NBA rules recommend an automatic one game suspension. Due to the severity of the fight, Duren, Bridges, and Diabate could also face suspensions.
Pistons Sneak By to Snap the Hornets’ Streak
Once things settled down, Detroit calmly asserted themselves and took an 88-78 lead into the final quarter.
Charlotte managed to keep the game close in the fourth. After Brandon Miller made a three-pointer, the Hornets’ sixteenth of the game, to pull the Hornets within six with just over eight minutes left, the Pistons responded with an immediate 6-0 run in the ensuing minute and a half, restoring their double-digit lead. Shortly thereafter, an offensive foul call on Grant Williams midway through the period triggered a furious reaction from Coach Lee, as he screamed his displeasure at the referees before promptly being ejected from the game.
Despite losing their head coach, the Hornets hung tough. Down 104-100 in the last minute, the Hornets had two wide open looks from three, but Miller and Knueppel both missed, effectively ending the Hornets bid to pull off the comeback win and extend their winning streak to what would have been a Hornets’ all time record-tying ten games.
Keys to the Game
Detroit’s defense hounded the Hornets into 18 turnovers, 12 off of steals, leading to a bevy of fast break opportunities for the Pistons.
The Pistons’ aggression in taking the ball to the basket paid off, as they scored seemingly at will in the paint and earned 28 free throw attempts, making 23.
Buzz Bright Spots
Charlotte’s three point shooting kept them in the game throughout. They finished with 19 made threes out of 47 attempts, good for 40%. Miller, Knueppel, and Ball accounted for 13 of those makes.
Buzzworthy Facts
For the second straight game the Hornets were perfect from the charity stripe. After going 16/16 Saturday night in their win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Hornets went 17/17 against the Pistons. Taking into consideration their 20/22 performance against Houston, the Hornets have shot 53/55 over the last three games, an astounding 96%.
Kon Knueppel extended the record he recently set for most games by a rookie with five or more made three point baskets. His tally is now up to fifteen games.
This was only the second loss all season for the starting lineup of Ball, Bridges, Miller, Knueppel, and Diabate. Charlotte has gone 15-2 in such games.
What’s Next
The Buzz will be back in action at Spectrum Arena Wednesday for their last game before the All-Star break. They’ll be taking on the Hawks for the second time in less than a week after Charlotte’s hard-earned victory in Atlanta over the weekend.
 | A guest post by
|