By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
For the second-straight game, a big fourth-quarter lead for the Charlotte Hornets ultimately resulted in defeat as they fell to the Detroit Pistons in overtime, 114-108, on Thursday, Feb. 23 in Auburn Hills, MI. Leading 85-70 at the end of the third quarter, the Hornets went ice cold again in the final frame of regulation as the Pistons stormed back with a flurry of three-pointers to win the game and claim the season series with Charlotte. The Hornets have now dropped 12 of their last 13 games overall and have not won on the road since Dec. 28 against Orlando.
Turning Point
Trailing 100-97 with 20.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored 11-straight points for the Pistons in the final 2:17 of regulation, buried another three-point shot for Detroit to tie things up. Charlotte had a chance to win it at the buzzer but Marco Belinelli couldn’t get the three-pointer to fall as Detroit opened overtime on a 10-2 run to quickly put things out of reach for the Hornets and seal the win.
Hornets Player of the Game
Kemba Walker came back from his first All-Star appearance to finish with a game-high 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds and a team-high six assists in the loss. This is tied for Walker’s third-highest scoring performance of the season and he now has nine games this year with at least 30-or-more points.
Pistons Player of the Game
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope erupted for a team-high 33 points (7-of-15 from three-point range), nine rebounds and three assists in the victory. This is the second-most three-pointers and second-most points Caldwell-Pope has accumulated in any game so far this season.
Game Notes
Nicolas Batum racked up 18 points, six rebounds and three assists… Frank Kaminsky added 17 points and two assists… Marvin Williams tossed in 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recorded his 10th double-double of the season, tallying 12 points and a game-high and season-high-tying 14 rebounds… The Hornets connected on 25-of-26 free-throw attempts (96.2 percent) while the Pistons hit 11-of-12 shots from the charity stripe (91.7 percent)… Detroit won the rebounding battle, 57-50, which included a 10-5 edge in offensive boards… The Pistons outscored Charlotte in second-chance points, 12-4, and on the fast break, 27-9… Charlotte led by as many as 18 points, its largest blown lead in a loss this season. Its previous largest blown lead was 17 points one game earlier against Toronto on Feb. 15.
Quote of the Night
“It’s a make-or-miss league and [Kentavious] Caldwell-Pope made two great shots [at the end of the fourth quarter] - actually two off blown coverages, just blown coverages. It’s something we’ve worked on since the first week of training camp and [it] can’t happen…We got to step up and make some shots. We did some good things. The plays are there to be made and we got to make them.” -Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford.
Quote of the Night
“It’s a make-or-miss league and [Kentavious] Caldwell-Pope made two great shots [at the end of the fourth quarter] - actually two off blown coverages, just blown coverages. It’s something we’ve worked on since the first week of training camp and [it] can’t happen…We got to step up and make some shots. We did some good things. The plays are there to be made and we got to make them.” -Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford.
Next Up
The Hornets head west to take on the Kings beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 in Sacramento. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
next up
Saturday Feb 25 - 5:00 pmGolden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Fox Sports Southeast - Charlotte Hornets App & WFNZ 610 AM