The floundering Detroit Pistons host the Charlotte Hornets in the third and final meeting between the two Eastern Conference teams.
The Detroit Pistons bring their disappointing 16-21 record to the Palace of Auburn Hills to face the 20-16 Charlotte Hornets for the final time this season. This will also be the final visit for the Hornets to the Palace, as the Pistons are moving to downtown Detroit following this season.
This will be the third game between these two teams with the Pistons taking the first matchup on November 29th by a score of 112-89 and the Hornets winning the rematch on December 7th by a 87-77 margin.
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The Hornets are led in scoring by point guard Kemba Walker who is averaging 22.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game and shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from long range. It will be imperative for the Pistons to slow Walker down if they want to stay close in this game. The responsibility for defending him will likely fall to Reggie Jackson while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is kept busy by Nicolas Batum.
Batum is having a down year offensively but is always dangerous. He’s averaging 15.2 points per game and adding 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists. His shooting numbers are unimpressive at 40.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range, but he can heat up if left unchecked.
The Pistons will be led offensively by Reggie Jackson who has hit his stride in the last seven games. Jackson has provided the Pistons with efficient scoring in recent weeks, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from long range, helping comprise an impressive 56.7 percent true shooting rate.
This game features two teams who are shorthanded under the basket. The Hornets will be without Cody Zeller, still undergoing concussion treatment, and the Pistons may be without Aron Baynes who is questionable and will be a game-time decision with a sprained ankle.
.@aronbaynes a no-go in #Pistons walk through for tonight's game with CHA. SVG not expecting him. Backup C matchup based vs. Hornets.
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) January 5, 2017
With Cody Zeller in concussion protocol and Hibbert starting, backup is Hawes. That means Leuer probably the counter.
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) January 5, 2017
Per Keith Langlois’ tweets, we can expect Jon Leuer to get no shortage of reserve center minutes tonight. It also means that Andre Drummond might be in line for a big night against Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert.
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Rounding out the injury reports for the Pistons (Zeller is the only name on it for the Hornets), Reggie Bullock is out until next weekend while recovering from a torn meniscus, and Michael Gbinije is questionable with a bruised forearm.
Tip is at 7:30 p.m. and the game can be seen in the Metro Detroit area on Fox Sports Detroit.
Video courtesy of our friends at 3ball.