Cunningham Scores 30 as Pistons Beat Hornets 97-89 in Detroit

DETROIT, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons bounced back from a lopsided loss in New York with a gritty 97-89 home win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, led by 30 points from Cade Cunningham.

Detroit fell behind 51-44 by halftime in a rough, physical game with little clean shooting. The Pistons took over after intermission, going on a 16-5 run as four different players knocked down threes. Detroit also pried loose eight Charlotte turnovers in that period and owned a 76-70 edge entering the fourth.

Defense decided it. Charlotte gave the ball away 25 times, while Detroit committed 14. Paul Reed chipped in 16 points, and Ausar Thompson nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with nine boards, eight assists and seven points.

Brandon Miller paced Charlotte with 31 points and 12 rebounds, his third 30-point night in a row, but he hit only two of his seven fourth-quarter attempts. Dennis Schroeder was the lone other Hornet in double digits with 14.

The win moved Detroit to 4-1, one night after a 111-97 defeat against the Knicks. Charlotte fell to 3-2 and plays next at Washington on Friday.

Filed under: Detroit MI Sports News