Malik Monk swishes a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Hornets win over Pistons
Malik Monk hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 109-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The Hornets tied the score with 24 seconds left on a Marvin Williams’ 3-pointer. The Pistons’ Derrick Rose threw the ball out of bounds on the ensuing possession, giving Charlotte possession with a second left.
Rookie Cody Martin in-bounded to Monk (19 points) above the key, and he swished his shot for the game-winner.
Terry Rozier had 19 points for the Hornets, and Devonte Graham finished with 18 points and 10 assists.
The Pistons got a career-high 32 points from reserve Langston Galloway. Center Andre Drummond finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds.
The victory broke Charlotte’s four-game losing streak, improving the Hornets to 5-7.
Good buzz
The guard rotation was a real strength Friday, with Graham, Rozier and Monk all creating offense. Rozier is comfortable playing off the ball, which has made maximizing Graham easier. With Kemba Walker gone, the offense must be more diverse, and this was a good step in that direction.
Bee stings
It’s now 12-for-12 this season with the Hornets trailing by double-digits. This time, it didn’t take long: About five minutes into this game the Pistons led 16-6. Drummond blew them up inside early — it took him just 13 minutes Friday to reach a points-rebounds double-double. Drummond is such a hard matchup for Cody Zeller, as far as giving away size and bulk.
Building blocks
Monk took a hard look at his game recently and concluded he has to be less dependent on the 3-ball and drive more. That was good for 35 points in his previous two games, and it carried into Friday when he scored 10 first-half points off the bench, making four of his first six shots from the field. The only downside was he committed two offensive fouls trying to drive to the rim.
Beyond the numbers
The Hornets are being conservative with shooting guard Dwayne Bacon’s sore right knee. Bacon sat out his second consecutive game. Although the swelling has gone down from when he first felt discomfort Sunday in Philadelphia, he still wasn’t pain-free. Bacon hasn’t shot well as a starter this season and endorses coming off the bench when he returns to the active roster.
