Tobias Harris scores 24 points and Pistons hold off Hornets 98-94

(AP) Detroit, MI-DETROIT In their fifth victory in six games, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Charlotte Hornets 98-94 on Friday night, led by 24 points and 10 rebounds from Tobias Harris.

Jalen Duren finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Cade Cunningham contributed 18 points for the Pistons.

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Charlotte, which has dropped nine straight games, received 20 points from Miles Bridges and 18 from Mark Williams.

In the fourth quarter, the Pistons outscored Charlotte 14–12, making 30% (6 of 20) of their shots compared to Charlotte’s 4 for 19 (21.1%).

Charlotte committed five turnovers and missed 11 of its first 12 shots to begin the period. With 4:30 remaining, Detroit was able to take a 92-85 lead thanks to it.

Charlotte only scored two of their first seven free throws in the quarter, but the Pistons kept fouling, a problem they had all evening.

Takeaways

Hornets: Detroit had 14 offensive rebounds, while Charlotte only had nine.

Pistons: In their victory over Orlando on Wednesday, Detroit played their first game since Jaden Ivey broke his left leg. Despite starting at shooting guard, Wendell Moore Jr. failed to score in the first fifteen minutes. Malik Beasley, who scored 12 points in 31 minutes, had the majority of the playing time, as was to be expected.Crucial moment

With 4:45 remaining in the second quarter, the Pistons were behind 47-46. Charlotte then went on an 11-2 run, and Bridges finished the half with a 30-foot 3-pointer to make it 65-52. In the third quarter, the Pistons rallied to defeat the Hornets 32–17.

Key stat

Charlotte only committed 10 fouls compared to Detroit’s 27 in the last minute, despite being forced to foul three times. They missed eleven out of thirty free throws, though, so they were unable to capitalize.

Up next

The Pistons visit the Timberwolves on Saturday to complete a home back-to-back, while the Hornets resume their road trip on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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