Pistons (11-53) sweep Hornets with dominant 114-97 victory

Detroit — The Pistons entered Monday's game against the Charlotte Hornets with just 10 wins on their bleak record.

Two of those victories were against the Hornets, another young team sitting toward the bottom of the league's standings.

That number increased to 11 wins and Detroit completed a season-sweep of Charlotte after a dominant 114-97 showing over the shorthanded Hornets.

It was a game that Detroit (11-53) was favored to win, epecially since LaMelo Ball, Seth Curry, Tre Mann, Mark Williams, Cody Martin and Bryce McGowens were all unavailable for the Hornets (16-49) due to injury. Detroit built an 18-point lead over Charlotte in the third quarter after coming out of the halftime break on a 15-4 run.

"Obviously, you have to get stops to get out and run the way that we did," Pistons coach Monty Williams said. "We just talked about the sustainment of fundamentals on defense. ...We just talked about being greedy and doing the same thing we did in the first quarter. ...When you can hold a team to 97 points and (commit) 12 turnovers, for us is a huge deal."

The offensive surge allowed the Pistons to cruise until Flint native Miles Bridges drained a 3-pointer to cut the Pistons' lead to seven with five minutes remaining. However, Cunningham scored a couple of timely baskets to help Detroit close the game.

It didn't take long for Cade Cunningham to etch his name further into the Pistons' history books. After scoring his third point of the game, Cunningham became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,200 points and 400 assists in a single season (54 games). The previous record was held by Pistons legend Isiah Thomas, who set the mark in 55 games during the 1984-85 season. He scored 12 of his team-high 22 points in the first quarter and totaled six rebounds and eight assists.

Jalen Duren played a vital role in Detroit's success, especially in the pick-and-roll game with Cunningham. Coming off an ejection and three consecutive games of foul trouble, Duren was the recipient of timely passes above the rim. His most emphatic dunk was a tip slam that he rebounded from a missed floater by Jaden Ivey. Duren committed just one foul and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds on an 8-of-10 shooting night.

"Just being better," Duren said. "I hold myself to a very high standard. I know Monty holds me to a high standard. Just me being better in myself. Bringing better energy to the team and to the game. That's what I was locked in on."

Bridges shouldered the scoring load for Charlotte. He finished with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. Grant Williams added 22 points with four rebounds. Rookie forward Brandon Miller totaled 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Nick Richards recorded a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Pistons had a chance to field a healthy roster for the first time all season. Quentin Grimes returned to the lineup after missing the last three games to right knee injury management, but Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson did not play due to illness (asthma). As a result, Monty Williams inserted Simone Fontecchio into the starting lineup in Thompson's place.

Fontecchio, coming off a career-high 27 points in Saturday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists on the night.

Grimes was the first player off the bench for Detroit, along with rookie guard Marcus Sasser. It was their first time playing together as NBA players. The duo spent two seasons together in college at Houston. Grimes struggled with his perimeter shot as he failed to make any of his six 3-pointers, but he finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists. Sasser regained his shooting form with nine points and four assists on 3-of-4 from the field.

Detroit led by 17 points midway through the second quarter until Charlotte trimmed that marin to two after a 15-0 run. The Pistons struggled to knock down shots during that stretch depsite receiveing several open looks. They also turned the ball over four times in the second quarter. Fontecchio stopped the bleeding with a timely 3-pointer to help Detroit go into the half with a seven-point edge.

James Wiseman's moment of the game occurred early in the fourth quarter when he took Richards off the dribble and threw down a one-handed poster over the Hornets' 7-foot center. It was a play that caused the entire Pistons' bench to rise to its feet. Wiseman had dunks on three consectutive possessions and they helped him finish with 10 points and nine rebounds.

"Big Wise is a great talent," Duren said. "He's here for a reason and I'm just so happy to see how he's coming along. He's a guy that's in the gym every day, working, getting extra shots. Extra reps. I never not see him in there early. It's just a testament to the work he puts in."

After taking care of business against the Hornets, the Pistons are 2-1 in their six-game homestand and will host the Miami Heat at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday. It's the third of four meetings against Miami this season and the game will be played on March 13, which is also known as "313 Day" throughout the city of Detroit.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2