CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “Next man up” has been a constant theme for the Pistons throughout the season as injuries have hindered the Pistons’ plans to find consistency within their young core.
That was the case again on Monday, as the short-handed Pistons ventured to Charlotte for a one-game road trip. Detroit had just nine healthy players going into their third meeting of the season.
The Pistons were without Bojan Bogdanovic, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, all of whom did not make the trip to Charlotte, while Isaiah Stewart was ruled out before tipoff due to right hip soreness.
With two of their leading scorers and starting frontcourt unavailable, Pistons coach Dwane Casey went with a small lineup and started Killian Hayes, Rodney McGruder, Alec Burks, Isaiah Livers and James Wiseman.
After trailing by as many as 24 points, the Pistons picked up some steam in the fourth quarter and climbed within five with five minutes remaining. Hamidou Diallo, who finished with 23 points, was a large reason for the comeback as he upped his defensive pressure with three steals in the fourth quarter, including one that led to a two-handed dunk in transition.
Despite the Pistons’ heroic comeback efforts, Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. kept the Hornets afloat long enough to deal Detroit a 117-106 loss at Spectrum Center.
The loss marked the Pistons’ fifth consecutive loss and first loss to the Hornets this season, after previous wins on Dec. 14 and Feb. 3. Detroit dropped to 19-44, which stands as the third-worst record in the NBA.
Detroit struggled mightily from beyond the 3-point line, making just three of their 26 attempts from distance (11.5%). The Pistons’ weakness from deep was the Hornets’ strength. Charlotte connected on 13-of-26 (50%) of its 3-pointers.
LaMelo Ball finished with 18 points before leaving the game due to an apparent non-contact injury. Hayward added 19 points, five rebounds and six assists. Rozier had 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.
James Wiseman, who has averaged 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in three games with the Pistons this season, led Detroit with 23 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-11 from the field. He scored from all three levels of the floor, but dominated the interior for the Pistons. Alec Burks added 17 points and four rebounds.
Isaiah Livers’ night was cut short when he suffered a left ankle sprain in the first quarter after colliding with Hornets forward Nick Richards.
Livers tried to play through the pain, but he immediately walked to the bench at the next dead ball. He was ruled out of the game early in the second quarter.
Here are a few more observations from Monday’s loss:
Hornets’ 3-point shooting: The 3-pointer worked in the Hornets favor on Monday. Charlotte knocked down its first seven attempts from deep, four of which were from LaMelo Ball. The Hornets’ first miss came at the 9:22 mark in the second quarter when Ball missed his first attempt from 3. The 3-point disparity was the major reason for the Pistons’ inability to complete the comeback and no Hornets 3-pointer was more important than the one Kelly Oubre knocked down from the corner to give the Hornets a 10-point lead late in the game.
Marvin Bagley III’s consistency: Bagley had another solid outing for the Pistons after grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds in his first game back from injury on Saturday. Casey’s challenge to Bagley was to find some consistency since he’s capable of big performances. Bagley accepted the challenge and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. He was patient and poised inside the paint, often waiting until his defender to jump before rising for easy layups or dunks. Bagley's getting more responsibility as the lone big, but it'll be interesting to see if he can maintain this production when he's in a lineup alongside another Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart or Wiseman.
RJ Hampton’s slow start: It’s difficult to come into a new team and immediately find success, especially when there’s a conditioning barrier due to a long layoff without playing. That was the case for Hampton, who received an increased role in his second game with the Pistons. However, he struggled to find an offensive rhythm. He finished with two points and five rebounds on 1-of-6 from the field, three of which were 3-pointers that fell short. His first points as a Piston occurred late in the third quarter It’s unclear how long Ivey will be away from the team, but Hampton needs to make the most of his opportunities down the final stretch of the season.
