Charlotte Hornets Hunt for New Life After the All-Star Break, Take on Detroit
By Russ Heltman
The Charlotte Hornets limped into the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak, and they will get another opportunity to change the tide in tonight’s matchup with the Detroit Pistons.
The Charlotte Hornets (24-32) will try to turn their season around when they travel to The Palace of Auburn Hills for a matchup with the Detroit Pistons (27-30). Prior to the weeklong break, the Hornets lost 11-of-12 games, leaving them outside the playoff picture heading into the home stretch of the season. The offense has been a glaring issue during the current four-game losing streak, as the Hornets averaged 95.2 points and 43.5 percent shooting as a team over the stretch.
On the other side, Detroit posted a 6-3 record heading into the break, but are yet to put together one three-game winning streak all season. The Pistons are healthy and have a favorable schedule going into the playoffs.
Those factors set up a confident Detroit team very well for a potential playoff berth. A win tonight will give Detroit three victories over Charlotte this season and guarantee the Pistons a crucial tiebreaker over the Hornets.
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Charlotte Hornets @ Detroit Pistons
7:30 P.M. EST, Thursday, February 23rd, 2017
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Zeller (Quad) – OUT
Miles Plumlee (Righ Calf Strain) – OUT
DET:
Beno Udrih (Ankle) – OUT
Aron Baynes (Illness) – QUESTIONABLE
Biggest Story:
Frank Kaminsky’s Rising Stars Shooting
Frank Kaminsky put on a show in the Rising Stars Challenge this past weekend. The former Wisconsin Badger dropped a team-high 33 points, highlighted by a 9-of-13 performance from beyond the arc.
Kaminsky played just 19 minutes of game action but made the most of it, turning on the green light from outside immediately following the opening tip. The sophomore player put up a career-high 27 points against a strong Toronto team in the final game prior to the break, so Kaminsky’s jumper is right where it needs to be this deep in the season.
Matchup to Watch:
Tobias Harris vs Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Tobias Harris is the Pistons leading scorer on the season at 16.3 PPG, meaning Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be shadowing him all night. Harris has been lights-out shooting the ball this season, posting a 53.6 percent effective field goal rating this season. that places him 41st in the league in that stat.
Next: Pre-All Star Break Player Grades
On the other hand, MKG is holding opponents to 44 percent shooting this season. Something’s got to give in this field goal percentage showdown, just have to hope MKG isn’t feeling generous.