Yes, you read that headline correctly. The Charlotte Hornets fell to the Detroit Pistons, 127-126 on Sunday after Kelly Olynyk hit a game-winning midrange jumper as time expired. Prior to this game, the Hornets won 15 straight games over the Pistons, with the last loss coming in 2017 during the season-opener.
It was a gut punch for the Hornets because they are fighting to claw their way back into the playoff picture. They have a lot of ground to catch up and they just can't lose a game to one of the worst teams in the league.
Charlotte was getting outhustled pretty much the whole game. The Pistons had 22 offensive boards to the Hornets' 12. They were just faster to the spot and cashed in on second-chance points a bunch of times. Hornets forward Miles Bridges had plenty to say about that and other reasons for their first loss since returning from the All-Star break.
“I'll say it was the 50-50 balls. They played harder than us, they deserved to win that game. We didn't turn it on until late third quarter and they played hard the entire game,” said Bridges.
The Hornets are supposed to be the team that outhustles everybody, no matter who they're playing. They might've taken the Pistons a little lightly just because of their record.
“We can't play down to our competition. We approached the game like it was going to be an easy one. They came in and punched us in the mouth, they had confidence from there and never looked back,” added Bridges.
It's easy for the Hornets to think they've won the game before it even started, especially with their historic dominance over the Pistons for the past few years. However, if the Hornets are really trying to vie for a playoff spot and contend, they can't overlook anyone. Terry Rozier put it perfectly in the postgame presser.
“We're all pros. We gotta expect the unexpected in this league. We gotta come out and give 100% no matter what,” said Rozier.
No matter what the record is, you still have to execute in order to grind out a win in the NBA. The Hornets have a tough stretch of games coming up, as they will be on the road to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday and then off to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. These are two teams that are perched atop the Eastern Conference and look like locks for the postseason. The Hornets usually do a good job of playing up to their competition. They're going to need to. It'll be a good test for the Hornets and certainly must-win games for them.
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