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    • Pistons lose buzzer-beater against Hornets after Holland’s clutch shot
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    Pistons lose buzzer-beater against Hornets after Holland’s clutch shot

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    Detroit — The Detroit Pistons’ two-game winning streak ended Wednesday night with a 108-107 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. The last time the Pistons won three games in a row was in March 2022, when they beat the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks. They finished the 2021-22 season with a 23-59 record.

    Jaden Ivey made a pair of clutch free throws that gave the Pistons a 103-101 lead with 1:08 left in the fourth quarter. However, All-Star guard LaMelo Ball scored five of the Hornets’ final seven points in the stretch. His run started with a 3-point field goal that gave the Hornets a one-point lead with 55.0 seconds left.

    Ivey’s dunk on the next possession cut the Hornets’ lead to one point with 21.0 seconds left. On Charlotte’s next possession, Ron Holland II came up with a steal and turned the takeaway into a layup with six seconds left.

    Brandon Miller then made a game-winning layup at the buzzer after Grant Williams’ missed triple. Miller had 19 points and six rebounds. Ball added 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Former Michigan State prospect Miles Bridges scored 27 points before leaving the game with the injury.

    Amidst an ineffective shooting night, Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 20 points on 9-of-23 shooting, 0-of-4 from behind the arc. Given his sizzling start, Cunningham’s performance was lackluster at best. In the first quarter, Cunningham shot 6 of 8 from the field while pouring in 12 points.

    The Pistons held a 24-23 lead entering the second period. Despite his shot, Cunningham recorded his second straight triple-double by adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

    Jalen Duren’s night ended early after suffering a left ankle injury two minutes into the game. He was trying to make a comeback.

    After a 30-second timeout, Duren played another six minutes before being replaced by Isaiah Stewart. However, the Pistons sat out their third-year big man after a halftime evaluation where Detroit outscored Charlotte 46-45.

    Although Stewart started the second half, Paul Reed played a big role in helping Detroit fill Duren’s vacancy with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting, two rebounds, two steals and a block in 12 minutes. He scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

    Duren was the first of two injuries the Pistons suffered against the Hornets. Ivey left briefly with an apparent shin injury early in the fourth period, but returned at 6:34. He scored 21 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds.

    Further on

    The Pistons will embark on a three-game homestand starting Friday night against the Hawks. Their homestand will include games against the Houston Rockets (Sunday) and Miami Heat (Tuesday), which also marks the start of Emirates NBA Cup 2024. The Pistons vs. Hawks matchup is scheduled for Little Caesars Arena at 7 p.m.

    Observations vs. Hornets

    Is Ron Holland starting to put Fred Vinson’s teachings to good use?

    Since the start of training camp, Ron Holland II has spent almost every day of practice working on the three-point shot with assistant coach Fred Vinson. Thanks to endless practices, Holland hasn’t shied away from attempting 3-point shots, and through his first eight games, the rookie prospect from G League Ignite has hit 1-of-16.

    Against the Hornets, Holland had the best shooting performance of his young career. He shot 2-of-3 from behind the arc en route to an eight-point outing. Although a small sample size, Holland gave a glimpse of the benefits of training with Vinson as a shooting coach.

    Are the Pistons improving their turnover issues?

    Although the Pistons lost, they had their best game of the season when it came to ball security. Detroit had a career-low 10 turnovers, giving the Hornets five points. Turnovers have been a significant problem for the Pistons through the first seven games of the season, when they averaged 18.3. However, over the past two games, Detroit has averaged 11.5 – the sixth-fewest in the league.

    Why can’t Cade Cunningham keep his score up?

    Cade Cunningham was on fire to start the game against the Hornets, and there was a moment when he looked like he was on the verge of a career night. However, he shot 3 of 15 the rest of the game while scoring eight points. Cunningham’s performance against the Hornets marked the third time this season his scoring dropped significantly after a half or quarter.

    In the season opener against the Indiana Pacers, Cunningham scored 18 points in the third but went 1-of-6 for four points down the stretch. Against the Miami Heat, he scored 18 points while shooting 6-of-6 from the field. Cunningham finished with 24 after shooting 3-of-12 in the second half. The Pistons dropped both games.

    While averaging 22.9 points with a pair of triple-doubles, Cunningham is off to a solid start in his fourth career season, but he needs to find a way to keep his scoring going for a full game.

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