End of series for the Hornets who returned to victory in Detroit after lining up six consecutive losses. In addition to having dominated their subject, the troops of James Borrego were able to appreciate the contribution of Montrezl Harrell for his first match with Charlotte.
The first quarter took place at a high pace with spectacle on both sides of the floor, against a backdrop of rivalry between Cade Cunningham and LaMelo Ball, boiling from the start. Newcomer to the Hornets, Montrezl Harrell distinguished himself with a tap dunk to register his first basket with Charlotte (22-24). Even if Killian Hayes responded to him with 3-pointers in stride to put Detroit back in the lead, the Pistons then gradually stalled, despite all the efforts of Hamidou Diallo in the second quarter.
The rise of Montrezl Harrell, accompanied by a sharp PJ Washington, helped create the gap (34-45). LaMelo Ball’s 3-point missile followed by the two baskets behind Terry Rozier’s arc clearly calmed the assembly afterwards (45-69). In great shape, Montrezl Harrell was happy to bring the gap to +24 at the break, with the help of James Bouknight at the end (55-79).
The rest of the match logically lost suspense, Charlotte relying mainly on LaMelo Ball’s flashes of genius, scoring or passing, in order to maintain the gap in the third quarter (87-110). Note, however, the great reaction of pride from the Pistons, used to fighting against the score. The locals thus briefly returned to under 20 points after a remarkable passage from Killian Hayes, author of a dunk on the counter-attack, a 3-pointer and a pass in the back for Kelly Olynyk’s 3-pointer ( 107-126).
Largely insufficient to reverse the trend, Charlotte finishing the game in freewheel, like the last two dunks signed JT Thor and Kai Jones to secure the victory with the score of 141 to 119.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Euphoric Charlotte. The Hornets have delivered a show of force against the bottom of the class in the NBA this season. With figures to make your head spin: 43% 3-point success, 18/42, 51 rebounds, 36 assists. The highlight of Charlotte’s recital will have been the second quarter during which James Borrego’s troops have passed 43 points. There was no more match after that.
– The double-double of Killian Hayes. With 11 points, but above all 12 assists, all crowned by a remarkable passage in the last quarter. This is the Frenchman’s second double-double this season.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ LaMelo Ball. A LaMelo Ball in great shape on this match, with his characteristic smile that he did not leave the match, after a big shot, a left hand lay-up or a millimeter pass for a teammate. Incisive from the start, he then put on a show after the break to secure the victory and claim a fine line of stats with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals.
✅ terry rozier. If Miles Bridges was also good, with his spectacular dimension which does not spoil anything, “Scary Terry” also deserves to be highlighted since he offered himself a nice triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists without forgetting his 4 interceptions. Like LaMelo Ball, he too played loose and had fun, like his dribble between the legs in front of Isaiah Stewart.
✅ Montrezl Harrell. Charlotte had suffered in position 5 since the start of the season. The arrival of Montrezl Harrell will therefore do the greatest good to the troops of James Borrego. This great first confirmed it since the former Wizards player appeared motivated, involved and efficient as he knows how to be near the circle in order to make 15 points (7/9 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes.
⛔ Cade Cunningham. The start of the game and his duel with LaMelo Ball foreshadowed a great battle between the rookie, back for this match, and the sophomore. But the Pistons player quickly disappeared from circulation, finishing at 12 points, 5/13 shooting, 2 assists and 6 lost balls.
THE FOLLOWING
Detroit (12-44): the Pistons are back on the road, heading to Washington to face the Wizards on Monday.
Charlotte (29-28): back-to-back in sight for the Hornets who will host Memphis tonight.
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