Baron Davis scored a career-high 38 points and David Wesley added 20 as the Hornets went wire-to-wire for a 104-96 victory over the Pistons, who were held to an NBA record-low 18 rebounds.
Detroit's 18 rebounds eclipsed the NBA record of 19 set by the Seattle SuperSonics on April 14, 1999. Charlotte forward P.J Brown grabbed a career high-tying 20 by himself, including 17 on the offensive end.
 Charlotte's P.J. Brown meets resistance against Detroit's Clifford Robinson. Gregory Shamus NBAE/Getty Images |
"I've just been informed that 18 rebounds is an all-time low for an NBA game," Pistons coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're not proud of that. Rebounding is an effort statistic."
Detroit did not have enough effort to keep up with Davis or Wesley, who had an answer for each of the Pistons' comeback attempts.
Detroit used an 18-7 run to close within 85-82 with 6:03 to play and stayed close for the next five minutes. But Wesley hit a jumper with 1:10 left that increased Charlotte's lead to 98-91.
The Pistons were within 30-21 early in the second quarter before Wesley made two mid-range jumpers in a 23-11 run that closed the half.
"They made two huge runs, but we were able to hit the baskets to kind of weather the storm and get us back into a rhythm," Davis said. "It really took a lot of life out of them."
Davis came out on fire, scoring 16 points to match Detroit's total in the opening period. By halftime, Davis had 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting as the Hornets built a 53-32 advantage.
"I was in a nice rhythm tonight, especially getting to the mid-range," Davis said. "I was really attacking the basket, but I was able to pull up and get some nice open looks."
Davis made shots from all over the court, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. His previous career-high was 33 points in a season-opening victory over Cleveland on October 31.
"It felt good," he said. "It makes you want to shoot more, but you have to be conscious of the clock, your teammates and getting good shots."
Charlotte shot 50 percent in the first half while holding Detroit to 38 percent (11-of-29).
"We obviously didn't start the game with a kind of disposition that we've had most nights this year," Carlisle said. "When you dig yourself a 20-plus hole, you're going to have trouble winning."
What Davis and Wesley did from the outside, Brown did inside, adding 12 points to his 20 boards. He also had 20 rebounds February 19, 1998 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"The only thing I try to do is come out every game and be active on the glass and try to get as many as possible," Brown said of his rebound total. "That's my strong point and what I need to do to help the team win."
In his first action since last Wednesday, Jerry Stackhouse led the Pistons with 26 points. He missed the last three games with a sore groin.
Stackhouse shot 8-of-13 from the floor. But with Davis and Wesley guarding him closely, he committed eight turnovers.
"I felt pretty good early on," Stackhouse said. "It got a little stiff as the game went on. My timing was off. I don't know how much help I was.
"I helped dig us a hole in the first half. I had too many turnovers. It helped them get off to a good start in the first half and then we were trying to fight back the whole game."
Cliff Robinson added 18 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, and Chucky Atkins set season highs with 25 points in 42 minutes off the bench for the Pistons.
Atkins played extensively for starting guard Dana Barros, who was on the court for only three minutes before pulling a hamstring.
Atkins, who made a 3-pointer that put the Pistons up for good in Monday's victory over the Orlando Magic, was 6-of-10 from the arc.
But he and Robinson missed 3-pointers from well beyond the arc in the closing moments that would have gotten the Pistons within five.
Detroit normally places at least five scorers in double figures, but had just three as Atkins, Robinson and Stackhouse combined for 69 points on 25-of-49 shooting. The rest of the team had 33 points on a 10-of-21 effort from the floor.