After securing their first home victory in four tries this season, the Detroit Pistons hit the road hunting their third straight win in Wednesday night’s clash against the host Charlotte Hornets.
Detroit followed its 106-92 victory at Brooklyn on Sunday with a 115-103 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the difference for Detroit on Monday boiled down to something simple: His team committed only 12 turnovers.
“We’ve had some struggles with that,” Bickerstaff said. “We took care of the basketball.”
Jaden Ivey’s season-high 26 points sparked the Pistons, who have won three of their last four games. Ivey made 10 of 16 shots from the field and was one of six Detroit scorers to finish in double figures against the Lakers.
“With confidence, amazing things happen,” Bickerstaff said. “We believe that (Ivey is) playing with an extreme level of confidence. He’s attacking, he’s playing in positions of strength. He wants this to work. He’s doing whatever he has to do to help this team win.”
Bickerstaff was pleased with the Pistons’ patience on Monday, especially late in the game.
“Understanding possession by possession what we needed to do in the moment,” Bickerstaff said. “Taking care of the basketball in the fourth quarter, not giving them extra opportunities. We have guys who are capable to get to their spot to create shots for one another.”
Either Ivey or fellow guard Cade Cunningham has been Detroit’s leading scorer in every game this season. Monday marked the third time Ivey finished as the Pistons’ top scorer. Cunningham delivered his third career triple-double in the win, tallying 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Hornets had been competitive in their first six games until they endured a rough middle two quarters in Monday night’s 114-93 loss at Minnesota.
The Timberwolves outscored Charlotte 67-47 over the second and third quarters to hand the Hornets their third straight loss.
Despite Charlotte’s skid, the point production from guard LaMelo Ball remains encouraging.
Ball has four 30-point games and entered Tuesday with the NBA’s seventh-highest scoring average (28.6 points per game). He has led the Hornets in scoring in six of the team’s seven games.
“A lot of what we’ve been trying to teach him on both ends of the court, he’s approached it with the right mindset,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said of Ball.
“And he has been open-minded. We’re seeing a little bit of improvement defensively and we’re seeing his playmaking and wizardry happen offensively.”
Ball had 19 points against Minnesota, but no other Hornet scored more than 10. Charlotte made just 10 of its 42 3-pointers (23.8 percent) and shot 35-of-88 (39.8 percent) from the floor overall.
The Hornets ranked 21st out of 30 teams in scoring (111.3 points per game) entering Tuesday’s action, and some of their offensive woes can be tied to Brandon Miller’s injury struggles. The second-year forward missed four games with a strained left glute before returning Saturday.
Charlotte has also battled injuries in the post. Center Nick Richards has missed the Hornets’ last two games due to right shoulder soreness.