Detroit Pistons top Charlotte Hornets on opening night
By David Topham
The Detroit Pistons (1-0) beat the Charlotte Hornets (0-1) 102-90 on Wednesday night, opening the Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit on the right note.
The Detroit Pistons (1-0) opened Little Caesars Arena with a bang, beating the Charlotte Hornets (0-1) 102-90 in the season opener. Tobias Harris led the way with 27 points, but Detroit handled this one with defense, accumulating 14 steals and holding Charlotte to 39.7 percent shooting from the field.
There was plenty of hullabaloo surrounding the first regular season basketball game at Little Caesars Arena—Adam Silver, Eminem, and Big Sean were all in the house—yet the in-game storylines were even more fantastic.
Harris scored 17 points in the first quarter. Andre Drummond is officially shooting 100 percent from the free throw line on the year (2-of-2, but still). Stanley Johnson shot 0-13 from the field and still had a good game. Man, it’s good to have the NBA back.
Here’s a look at what Eminem had to say to the fans right before tip-off:
Let’s get to the game’s biggest storylines.
Top Three Takeaways
1. Tobias Harris shines
A season ago, Harris was the Detroit Pistons’ most effective offensive weapon, and that continued tonight. Harris scored 17 first-quarter points with a dazzling display of offense. He did it in a variety of ways, hitting two three pointers, driving and finishing with a ferocious dunk, and swishing mid-range jumpers. He finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
2. Reggie Jackson doesn’t force things
Reggie Jackson is going to be under the microscope all season. Tonight, he started out on the right foot with a line of 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, eight assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers in 27 minutes. Outside of an errant stretch in the middle of the second quarter when he forced three straight floaters in the lane, Jackson was composed and in control of the offense. He also did a nice job of challenging Kemba Walker when Avery Bradley was dealing with foul trouble.
3. Galloway and Ellenson spark the bench
Stan Van Gundy warned us earlier in the week that the team’s rotation is likely to change on a night-to-night basis. Tonight, it featured two stints of a wonky Ish Smith–Langston Galloway-Harris-Henry Ellenson–Jon Leuer combination. Galloway made his Pistons’ debut memorable, finishing with 16 points (13 in the first half), three long balls, and three steals, including a four-point play. He ended up playing 25 minutes thanks to some Bradley foul trouble. Ellenson, Detroit’s 2016 first-round pick, provided 13 points (5-of-10 shooting, 2-of-4 from 3) and four rebounds in just 16 minutes. It was great to see him make a positive impact in what was his first meaningful game action. It was also noteworthy that Eric Moreland got 12 backup center minutes to Boban Marjanovic’s zero. Patience, friends, Boban will be unleashed soon.
Next: Top 5 season openers in Pistons history
Player of the Game: Tobias Harris
Tonight’s player of the game is Tobias Harris. He christened Little Caesars Arena with a first quarter to be remembered, scoring 17 of the Pistons’ first 25 points. At one point in the first quarter, it was Hornets 18-Harris 17. He capped his great night with a fourth three pointer that gave the Detroit Pistons 100 points on the nose. A fitting end. Harris finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists on 11-18 shooting.