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Hornets Fall to Pistons in Cool School Game

By Matt Gorry, hornets.com

The Result

The Pistons stormed out of the gates and put Charlotte in an early hole that it never recovered from, cruising to a 104-84 victory in the Cool School Game on Oct. 15 in front of a sold out crowd at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Turning Points

Despite the early 11 a.m. tipoff, Detroit came out strong and set the tone in the first quarter. After the Hornets cut the lead to two at 13-11 on a pair of Lance Stephenson free throws midway through the frame, the Pistons closed on a 13-2 run to take a commanding 26-13 lead after one… Charlotte only shot 15 percent (3-of-20) from the floor in the opening stanza and wasn’t able to bounce back.

Inside the Box Score

The Hornets never found their rhythm from the field, shooting just 34.1 percent (28-of-82) in the game, including a 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) mark from behind the arc… Detroit shot nearly 48 percent (39-of-82) on the afternoon but used a dominating edge on the boards (58-36) to pull away. The Pistons hauled in 15 offensive rebounds… Four Hornets scored in double figures, led by Gary Neal’s 20 ­– the third time in four games he’s led the team in scoring… PJ Hairston, Brian Roberts and Al Jefferson tallied 10 points apiece.

Hornets Player of the Game

Gary Neal came off the bench and continued his strong preseason, pouring in 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Neal was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line and added three boards and two assists.

Pistons Player of the Game

Andre Drummond paced the Pistons on both ends of the floor in the paint, recording a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The big man added a pair of blocked shots.

Game Notes

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist turned in another strong outing with six points and seven boards, including a pair of offensive rebounds… Lance Stephenson finished with eight points, three rebounds and three assists… Marvin Williams added seven points and three rebounds… Jason Maxiell scored five points and brought down three boards against the team that originally drafted him with the 26th overall pick in 2005… Kemba Walker (knee), Gerald Henderson (hamstring) and Noah Vonleh (hernia) sat out.

Next Up

The Hornets head to Washington, D.C. to take on the Washington Wizards for the second time this preseason on Oct. 17 at the Verizon Center. The game can be heard on WFNZ or on the Hornets mobile app.