Detroit Pistons (59-22) beat Charlotte Hornets (43-38) 118-100 on the road on Friday, April 10, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons had the better start, winning the first 36-30 to lead by 6 after one. The Hornets cut into the deficit with a 35-32 second quarter, though the Pistons still led by 3 at halftime.
The teams matched each other with 25 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Pistons remained ahead by 3 entering the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 25-10; the Pistons finished the job for a 118-100 regulation win.
What decided it
The Pistons got more from their shots, finishing at 55.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 46% for the Hornets. The Pistons grabbed 37.2% of their own misses, while the Hornets recovered 29.8%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Pistons produced 120.1 points per 100 possessions to 101.8 for the Hornets.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 45-23.
Who made the difference
LaMelo Ball was the game's biggest individual force for CHA: 27 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast on 7-20 shooting. His Game Score of 21.6 led everyone. His team was -14 with him on the floor.
Jalen Duren led the Pistons with 20 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast on 8-11 shooting, good for a 18.2 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 39% for the Pistons.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Detroit Pistons lead 4-2.
The Pistons are now 59-22, and the Hornets are 43-38. The Pistons last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.