It’s a battle of the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference on the hardwood as they tangle in the Motor City. The Charlotte Hornets are on the road as they travel to face the Detroit Pistons Friday night. Charlotte was on the road Thursday night as they took on Chicago in the front half of a back-to-back set here. The Hornets were dropped 124-115 on the road by Milwaukee in their previous game Tuesday night though they did cover the line as an 11-point underdog. Detroit was supposed to host Washington Wednesday night only to see that game postponed due to an ice storm that kept the Pistons in Dallas. The Pistons were dropped 111-105 by the Mavericks on the road Monday night though they did cover as a 10-point underdog. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Hornets hold a narrow 62-60 advantage but the Pistons have taken the last two meetings. That includes a 141-134 overtime road win in the first meeting this season on December 14, 2022.

Charlotte Hornets Play Second Half of Back-to-Back Set

Charlotte was on the road in the Windy City Thursday night as they took on the Bulls in the front half of their back-to-back set. The Hornets entered Thursday just 15-37 on the season and sat in the basement of the Southeast Division, 14 games behind the Heat for the top spot. They were 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, 22 games behind Boston for the top spot, 14 games behind Miami for the final guaranteed spot and nine games back of Indiana for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Charlotte is just 2-5 in the second game of back-to-back situations this season with a -5.9-ppg scoring differential (107 ppg for, 112.9 ppg against) this season. The Hornets are 8-21 on the road with a -6.7-ppg scoring margin (113.8 ppg for, 120.5 ppg against) on the year. Charlotte is 8-24 against teams from the East this season, posting a -6.6-ppg scoring differential (112.1 ppg for, 118.7 ppg against) entering Thursday night.
On the season, the Hornets are 25th in the league in scoring offense with 112.3 points per game. Charlotte is 5th in the league in rebounding as they collect 45.3 boards per contest and 15th in assists with 25.2 dimes per contest. The Hornets are 28th in scoring defense as they allow an average of 118.7 points per game. Terry Rozier is second on the Hornets with 21.7 points plus 4.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season. Gordon Hayward (13.8 points, 4.6 boards, 3.7 assists), Kelly Oubre Jr. (20.2 points, 5.1 boards), P.J. Washington (15.1 points) and Dennis Smith Jr. (7.8 points, 4.7 assists) are solid contributors on the offensive end of the floor. Jalen McDaniels (10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds), Nick Richards (8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds), LaMelo Ball (23.1 points, 8.3 assists), Mason Plumlee (12.2 points, 9.8 boards), Theo Maledon, Cody Martin, James Bouknight and Bryce McGowens are looked at to provide rotational depth for the Hornets. Charlotte is 29th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 45.2% from the field as a team. The Hornets are 26th in threes per game with 10.8 per contest and 30th in three-point field goal percentage by shooting 32.4% from beyond the arc.

Martin has played just one game this season: he underwent knee surgery in November and remains out at this point in time. Oubre Jr. (thumb) last played on December 29 against the Thunder and had surgery. He is expected to be out until some point in February.

Detroit Pistons Hoping to Return Home to Take the Floor

Detroit saw their game Wednesday against Washington postponed as they were unable to get out of Dallas due to the ice storm that hit the Lone Star State. The Pistons entered Thursday in the cellar of the Central Division, 21.5 games behind the Bucks for the top spot in the division. They were last in the East, 24 games behind Boston for the top spot, 16 games behind Miami for the final guaranteed spot and 11 behind Indiana for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Against Dallas, Detroit trailed by 10 just over three minutes into the game only to trim the margin to three after the opening quarter. The Pistons led by four at the half and by as many as 11 in the third quarter only to see the lead narrowed to one heading to the fourth quarter. Detroit gave up a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter to trail 92-86 and never got closer than two the rest of the way. The Pistons shot 45.6% from the field, including 14 of 39 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 14 times in the loss. Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 29 points in the loss.

On the year, the Pistons are 22nd in the league in scoring offense as they average 112.6 points a game. Detroit is 21st in rebounding with an average of 42.4 boards per contest and 26th in assists by dishing out 22.6 dimes a night. The Pistons are 29th in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 120.1 points per contest. Bojan Bogdanovic is leading the team in scoring for the Pistons as he puts up 21.4 points per game. Cade Cunningham (19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, six assists), Jaden Ivey (15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists), Alec Burks (13.5 points), Saddiq Bey (14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds), Marvin Bagley III (10.6 points, 5.9 boards) and Isaiah Stewart (11.3 points, 8.9 rebounds) have been decent secondary options. Isaiah Livers, Jalen Duren, Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, Killian Hayes and Kevin Knox II are looked at to be contributors for coach Dwane Casey. Detroit is 26th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 45.5% from the floor as a team. The Pistons are 16th in the league in threes per game as they hit 11.8 triples per contest while they are 17th in three-point percentage as they connect on 35.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Cunningham (shin) hasn’t played since November 9: it was announced on December 11 that he would undergo season-ending surgery. Bagley III (hand) last played on January 2 and had surgery: he is expected to be out until at least mid-February. Joseph (back) has missed the last three games while Diallo (illness) missed Monday’s game. They are both considered day-to-day so watch for updates on their respective statuses for this game.