Charlotte Hornets top the Detroit Pistons on MLK Day, 118-107

With a victory in Detroit on MLK Day, the Charlotte Hornets picked up their fourth road win in their last five away games.

The Charlotte Hornets (17-25) were able to defeat the Detroit Pistons (22-20) as they bounced back from a loss last time out versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Marvin Williams, Dwight Howard and Kemba Walker combined to score 62 points for Charlotte. The Hornets outscored the Pistons by 17 points in the second half to complete their comeback.

Cody Zeller missed his 19 consecutive game as he continues to recover from knee surgery. Frank Kaminsky injured his right ankle in the second half and did not return after being listed as doubtful. It will be interesting to see if he is forced to miss any time going forward.

Game Story

The turning point came in the third quarter where Charlotte outscored Detroit by 10 points to erase a six-point halftime deficit. The Hornets followed that up by outscoring the Pistons 34-37 in the fourth period. A key for Charlotte was their free throw shooting. They shot 22-33 (66.7%) from the free throw line while Detroit only attempted 11 shots from the charity stripe.

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Player of the Game

Dwight Howard put up a monster double-double as he finished the game with 21 points and 17 rebounds. The eight-time all-star also added four blocks, shot 9-12 (75%) from the field and was a +14 in +/-. He pulled down 15+ rebounds for the 13th time this season and has now grabbed 10+ boards in 31 of the team’s 42 games so far this year.

Marvin Williams added 21 points with five made three’s while Kemba Walker nearly had a double-double as he scored 20 points and dished out nine assists. Nicolas Batum chipped in with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists and he was more aggressive in this one. Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets’ second unit with 11 points off of the bench.

The Pistons were led by three players who combined to score 59 points. Reggie Bullock and Tobias Harris each put up 20 points while Ish Smith ended the night with 19 points and 10 assists. Anthony Tolliver had 17 points off of the bench. Avery Bradley was held to 15 points on 19 shot attempts.

Highlight of the Night:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Dwight recorded his 24th double-double of the season.
• Marvin Williams scored a season-high 21 points in this one.
• MKG passed Muggsy Bogues for 9th place on the team’s all-time defensive rebounding list.
• Charlotte outscored Detroit, 60-44, in points in the paint.
• The Hornets managed to score 25 points off of turnovers.

With the win, Charlotte improves to 1-1 in their season series against Detroit. The Hornets were able to snap a streak of five straight away losses to the Pistons that dated back to 2015. Their third and final matchup of the year will be in the Queen City on February 25th.

Next: 4 G-League players Charlotte should sign to 10-day deals

In their next outing, the Hornets will return home and host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, January 17th. This will be the second meeting of the season between the two sides and it will kick off a five-game homestand for Charlotte. Kemba Walker and company will look to pick up a win in Steve Clifford’s first game back.