Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons Game Preview

Injury Report

Pistons: OUT Cunningham (shin), Livers (shoulder)

Hornets: OUT Ball (ankle), Hayward (shoulder), Martin (knee), Smith Jr (knee), Williams (ankle)

Game Preview

Wednesday night's game in Charlotte will be a contest between the bottom two teams in the Eastern Conference. They each currently hold a 14% chance at the top overall pick, and each look like they will be headed for high lottery draft picks assuming luck sides with them. With that being said, I would expect both teams to show their pride and fight hard in this one to get a much-needed win and stay out of the Eastern Conference's bottom spot in the standings. 

Detroit has lost three in a row entering the game, while Charlotte's losing streak sits at five. Unfortunate news for the Pistons landed this week as former number one overall pick, Cade Cunningham, has been sidelined for the rest of the season with a shin injury that requires surgery. This comes as terrible news for the development of their young star as he was averaging almost 20 points per game, as well as six rebounds and six assists. Detroit is really going to miss his on-ball creation and play-making on offense. This is an area where the Hornets can take advantage with their defensive approach because this injury news is so fresh. Detroit probably hasn't fully figured out how to replace Cunningham's production quite yet so taking advantage of the lack of offense creation could give Charlotte an edge.

Key Match-up: Jaden Ivey vs Kelly Oubre Jr.

Detroit's rookie first round pick, Jaden Ivey, will now be relied upon more heavily with the news of Cunningham's injury. He has definitely showed some flashes of brilliance so far this season but has been a bit inconsistent to this point as most rookies are. However, the Pistons will need his speed and athleticism to collapse defenses and open up shots for their surrounding players. Cunningham is so good at getting to his spots and finding teammates as he draws attention, so Ivey will have to take over much of those duties. 

Kelly Oubre Jr. is having probably his best season of his career on both ends of the court. He still has his lapses on defense, but in general he seems much more active and engaged defensively under head coach Steve Clifford. On offense, he is averaging 20.8 points per game and is enjoying a much more balanced shot diet than in the past. He is attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line at a much higher rate than he did a season ago in Charlotte. Overall, he is deploying a much more aggressive approach when it comes to getting into the paint and not settling for tough, contested jump shots, and you can see the benefits of that effort in his overall numbers and efficiency. He will be going for his ninth straight game with 20 or more points on Wednesday.

Watching how the Ivey vs Oubre match up plays out will be crucial in determining who walks out of this game with the win.

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