Detroit Pistons (13-39) vs. Charlotte Hornets (15-38)
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Pistons radio affiliates).
Game notes: The good news for the Pistons is Luka Doncic won't be in a Hornets uniform. Four nights after Doncic dropped 53 points on the Pistons' heads in a 111-105 Mavericks comeback win, the Pistons take the court looking to get back in the win column. This matchup vs. the Hornets features the Eastern Conference's worst teams, so this game has extra meaning in the "Trauma for Victor Wembanyama" sweepstakes.
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The Pistons, who now own the NBA's worst record, have a huge rest advantage, after their game Wednesday vs. Washington was postponed. Charlotte lost to Chicago by 16 on Thursday night, so this will be the second game of a back-to-back. Third-year point guard LaMelo Ball entered Thursday averaging 23.1 points and 8.3 assists, and veteran guard Terry Rozier pours in 21.7 points per game, helping the Hornets to four wins over the past two weeks (at Houston, at Atlanta, Chicago, Miami). The Pistons and Hornets play twice more this season: Feb. 27 in Charlotte and March 9 in Detroit.
The Pistons defeated the Hornets on Dec. 14 in Charlotte, 141-134 in overtime, in the only other meeting this season. Alec Burks scored 27, Killian Hayes had 25 points and eight assists and Jalen Duren grabbed 19 rebounds in the win. The Pistons also won in OT in Charlotte at the end of February of last season, 127-126, on Kelly Olynyk's buzzer-beating jumper, which ended Detroit's incredible 15-game losing streak to Charlotte.
On Monday in Dallas, Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 29 points, continuing his torrid season and making him perhaps the most attractive, somewhat-gettable trade piece on the market ahead of next Thursday's deadline. He's averaging 21.4 points and shooting 41.6% on 3-pointers, making 2.5 per game.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons game vs. Charlotte Hornets: Time, TV channel
