Devonte Graham has career-high 15 assists as Hornets beat Pistons, end losing streak
Charlotte Hornets point guard Devonte Graham finished with 16 points and a career-high 15 assists in a 102-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Graham’s previous career high in assists was 12. This was his sixth double-double this season.
The Hornets had lost their previous five games. They improved to 7-12.
The Pistons (6-12) called timeout with 12 seconds left, down one, after Hornets rookie P.J. Washington missed an 18-foot jump shot. The Hornets knocked a ball out of bounds to eat up some clock, then Nic Batum took a foul to force the Pistons to again inbound.
Finally, Detroit’s Luke Kennard got the ball on the baseline but couldn’t get his jump shot off before the final buzzer.
Center Bismack Biyombo led the Hornets in scoring with 19 points.
Nice buzz
Batum, who sometimes is the most reluctant of shooters, got aggressive in the first half. He scored 13 points in the first half after scoring no more than eight in any prior game this season. Batum improves the ball-movement, but he’s got to be more like Wednesday, when he created five trips to the foul line in first half.
Bee stings
Washington (17 points) committed three fouls in the first four minutes, trying to guard Blake Griffin. That forced him to the bench for the rest of the first half. Washington struggled recently, scoring just 28 points in his previous five games and shooting 12 of 33 from the field. It looks like the 500 minutes he has played so far has worn on him.
Building blocks
Second-round rookie Cody Martin played in the first half (ahead of former starter Dwayne Bacon). Martin’s playing time was trimmed by Batum’s return from a fractured finger. Martin can be one of the Hornets’ better defensive players, but he has a long way to go to be comfortable in an NBA half-court offense.
Beyond the numbers
Frustrated with the Hornets’ defense of late, coach James Borrego dropped hints he was considering rotation changes. But between center Cody Zeller missing this game with a bruised left hip and Washington’s quick foul troubles, Borrego’s roster choices were limited by circumstance. Only two active players -- Dwayne Bacon and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist -- didn’t play in the first half.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 9:28 PM.
