Pistons vs. Hornets preview: Detroit looks to take unfortunately critical home-and-home from Charlotte

The Detroit Pistons can get within sniffing distance of .500 if the team can string a couple wins together in late November before facing a somewhat torturous early December slate of games. And they are only a half game out of the final playoff spot in the East. That is as optimistic as I can get. Especially as the Pistons face off against a Hornets team that is also coming into the game with only six wins on the season.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Watch: Fox Sports Detroit Plus

Analysis

The last meeting between these two teams was an odd site to behold. Detroit looked like they would make easy work of the game and went into halftime up 14. Then the offense completely collapsed, Drummond was silent in the second half, Luke had an off shooting night and Blake looked not only rusty but unhealthy on the court.

Langston Galloway added a career-high 32 points and drilled seven 3-pointers. That contributed to Detroit’s bench outscoring its starters 61 to 45. This was Snell’s final game before succumbing to the reality that his hip was messed up. He played nearly nine scoreless first-half minutes and then hasn’t seen the court since. Young “building block” players Bruce Brown and Luke Kennard scored five points apiece. Yuck.

Charlotte, meanwhile, was paced by Devonte Graham in the starting lineup and Malik Monk off the bench — including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the game from Monk. Cody Zeller also played some big minutes and PJ Washington’s three 3-pointers made already frustrated Pistons fans second guessing the Sekou pick. It was a dark day.

So what will make today different? Well, the Hornets have lost five straight contests, and while Graham continues to light it up, their three next prolific perimeter shooters are shooting 31.6% (Terry Rozier), 27.6% (Monk) and 32.1% (Miles Bridges) from the perimeter, the team can’t rebound the ball and is turning the ball over like crazy.

In that sense, Detroit and Charlotte will be fighting incompetent fire with fire. And a game against two bad defenses, you’d have to give the Pistons’ offense a leg up on the Hornets’ offense. That is, as long as Detroit’s woeful perimeter defense is able to contain Charlotte’s penetrating guards enough to at least make them not look like an All-Star pairing.

Projected Lineups

Detroit

Bruce Brown, Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond

Charlotte

Devonte Graham, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, Cody Zeller

Question of the Day

What is the WORST Thanksgiving Day food that somehow gets served every single year?