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Pistons at Hornets

The PRE Report - December 16, 2009

by Ryan Pretzer
Key Matchup

Stuckey 		24
19.1
4.5
4.5
.410 		Games
PPG
RPG
APG
FG% 		15
21.1
3.9
10.8
.530
Paul
After speedy Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks victimized Detroit for 23 points and 10 assists, the sky’s the limit for the Hornets’ Chris Paul Wednesday.

The All-NBA Point guard has shown no signs of the ankle injury that kept him out of eight games earlier in the season. He’s had a double-double in all five games since his return, averaging a 15.8 points and 14.0 assists.

In two wins over Detroit last season, Paul had 43 points and 27 assists, leading the Hornets to its first sweep of Detroit since 1998-99, when they were still in Charlotte.

Expect Rodney Stuckey to draw the Paul assignment, whether he starts at the 1 or the 2, which is uncertain in light of Rip Hamilton’s latest setback. Pistons coach John Kuester doesn’t gain anything by having Stuckey on Hornets shooting guard Devin Brown. Chucky Atkins, who is averaging 7.0 points and 5.4 assists in his last five games, is capable of those duties.

Brown, who has played for six teams in his eight NBA seasons, is averaging 9.2 points on 38.8 percent shooting and 1.9 assists.

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during tonight's game against the Hornets!
Broadcast Schedule:
7:00 p.m. - Pistons In-Focus
7:30 p.m. - Pistons Live
8:00 p.m. - Watch Live on FS Detroit HD
8:00 p.m. - Listen Live on 97.1 FM The Ticket

For a team that just had a five-game win streak snapped Tuesday at Houston, the Pistons have a number of red flags entering Wednesday’s game at New Orleans.

  • The Pistons have lost five of their last six road games, and are 3-9 away from The Palace.

  • They have a 1-5 record in the second game of back-to-backs, and 0-4 when those games are on the road.

  • Neither Ben Gordon nor Will Bynum returned from ankle injuries despite being upgraded from doubtful to questionable, and new injuries arose. As Keith Langlois reported last night, Rip Hamilton tweaked his right hamstring in his second game back from a severe ankle sprain and Ben Wallace received a busted lip that required two stitches, limiting him to 21 minutes.

    The Hamilton injury is certainly the most worrisome, given that he missed games last year with a groin tear and 21 of Detroit’s first 22 games this season.

    Hamilton was brilliant in the first half against the Rockets, making seven of his first eight shots en route to 17 points and four assists. After halftime, Hamilton had four points and no assists.

    “I felt good early and then I hurt my hamstring,” said Hamilton, whose 21 points were a team high. “It was really hurting and seemed to tighten when I sat down and we’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

    Hamilton, who confessed his “whole body” was in pain after playing 36 minutes in his first game back Saturday against Golden State, sounds like a risky play for games on consecutive nights. Don’t be surprised to see a return to the lineup of Chucky Atkins at point and Rodney Stuckey moving over to shooting guard. That starting backcourt went 5-1 in the six games they started together and helped Stuckey win Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors.

    Stuckey struggled Tuesday, missing 17 of 24 shots, but was the least of the Pistons’ problems in the 106-97 defeat. The Pistons defense was behind from the outset, allowing 29 points in the first quarter and leading to a 19-point deficit in the second. The Rockets went on to shoot a season-high 54.7 percent from the field.

    “Going into the game I told our players the aggressor would win the game. Houston was very aggressive and that is why they won the game,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. “They had a lot of easy opportunities in the transition game. We had 26 assists and only nine turnovers and with those type numbers you would usually be in the game. We just didn’t defend well.”

    Pistons have allowed 100 points at least in seven of 12 road games – something they have yet to do at home. (Denver’s 99 points came closest Thursday.) The Hornets, however, have not cracked triple digits in eight games, dating back to Nov. 25. New Orleans is 23rd in scoring over the last 10 games. Coincidentally, the Hornets average the same number of points as Houston, 97.1 points per game.

    Though Emeka Okafor (10.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.0 bpg) has been a clear upgrade from Tyson Chandler, the Bobcats center he was traded for last summer, the Hornets are alarmingly bad in some key defensive areas, ranking 27th in opponents’ field-goal percentage (.478) and rebounding differential (-2.8). The Pistons, conversely, have the third best rebounding differential (+3.6), and are leading the league in that category over their past 10 games (+9.0).

    The Hornets (10-13), who fired Byron Scott after a slow start, are creeping toward .500 under interim coach Jeff Bower, going 5-5 in their last 10. They’ve lost two straight on the heels of a three-game win streak.