Pistons Seek Fifth Straight Win Against Charlotte

Both Detroit and Charlotte come into this match-up playing high level basketball. The Pistons are 7-3 in their last 10 games and Charlotte will bring an 8-2 record in their last 10 with them to the Palace at Auburn Hills.

The Charlotte Hornets come to Detroit to face the Pistons–an important match-up for both. The Pistons sit one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff standings and with a win they would move up to seventh, percentage points ahead of the Indiana Pacers. Charlotte sits at sixth in the Eastern Conference and a win would vault them to third, depending upon results around the league.

Tonight’s game will be the last of three regular season match-ups between these two–Detroit will seek to earn their first victory of the season series against Charlotte. It will certainly be a tough task for the Pistons, having lost by 2o (104-84) and 15 (118-103) in those losses. The Hornets have been one of the hottest teams in the league the second half of the season sporting an 18-5 record in their last 23 games.  A win tonight would certainly give the Pistons a confidence boost and potentially build momentum for the tough stretch ahead featuring games against Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and Miami.

What to watch for:

Andre Drummond has struggled mightily against Charlotte so far this season. He’s totaled only 14 points in just 46 minutes in the season series against Charlotte this year. This against a team which lines up the likes of Cody Zeller and Al Jefferson against Andre. No disrespect to the pair of centers however, they are certainly not elite rim protectors that should be shutting Andre down as they have. Look for Stan Van Gundy to get Drummond involved early and often and cross your fingers for him to stay out of foul trouble and contribute in this one.

X-Factor:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s defense will be much needed in this game, coming off a DNP due to illness. Kemba Walker has paced this Charlotte team to their stellar second half play and if the Pistons hope to stretch their winning streak to five game, Caldwell-Pope will need to disrupt Walker throughout the night. Hopefully KCP will be feeling better and will have the energy to chase him all night.

Starting Lineups:

Detroit Pistons

Reggie Jackson

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Marcus Morris

Tobias Harris

Andre Drummond

Charlotte Hornets

Kemba Walker

Courtney Lee

Nicolas Batum

Marvin Williams

Cody Zeller