By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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The Charlotte Hornets had the honor of being part of the first-ever NBA game at the brand-new Little Caesars Arena in Midtown Detroit on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the Pistons, Charlotte also played the role of spoiler as well with a come-from-behind 108-106 win to move its preseason record to 1-1 this year.
Things started out poorly for the Hornets as they fell behind by 18 points entering halftime, although quickly regrouped and entered the fourth quarter down just 81-80. Charlotte would eventually go on to take its first lead of the game at 100-98 with 4:11 left on the clock.
Both teams stayed close the rest of the way with the Hornets inching ahead, 107-105, following a Dwayne Bacon layup at the 1:13 mark of the final frame. Detroit got itself within a point on its final possession, but Frank Kaminsky’s steal sealed the victory for Charlotte.
Rookie Malik Monk finished with a game-high 19 points while Jeremy Lamb had another impressive outing with 18 points and four assists. Lamb has now scored 17-or-more points in both preseason games so far, a feat he’s accomplished just twice in the regular season during his five-year NBA career.
Frank Kaminsky added 13 points while Dwight Howard notched a double-double with 12 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and two blocks. Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist all finished with exactly 10 points apiece.
Leading the way for Detroit was Andre Drummond, who amassed a team-high 16 points and game-high 15 rebounds. Avery Bradley, acquired by the team in an offseason trade with the Boston Celtics, chipped in 14 points to lead six other Pistons players in double figures.
After totaling 19 turnovers against Boston on Monday night, Charlotte had just 14 giveaways against the Pistons leading to 12 points. The Hornets managed to tally 20 points on 19 Detroit turnovers as well.
On the injury front, Hornets shooting guard Nicolas Batum suffered a sprained left elbow shortly after the start of the game and did not return for Charlotte. Head Coach Steve Clifford was also assessed a technical foul in the first half.
The Hornets will return to the court at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9 for a preseason road game against the Miami Heat.