The Charlotte Hornets will face the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, January 24 at the Little Caesars Arena. Both teams are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Hornets are sitting in third-last place with a 10-31 record, while the Pistons are last with a worse record of 4-39. The Hornets traded point guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat on Tuesday and acquired Kyle Lowry. This will give more minutes to Brandon Miller. Charlotte defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in their most recent contest, which was Rozier’s last game for the franchise. Meanwhile, the Pistons are on a three-game losing streak after facing tough matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves. They are still looking for their fifth win in the 2023–24 season.
Preview
This will be the second meeting between the Hornets and Pistons this season. Detroit emerged victorious in the first matchup, which was in the opening week of the season. Alec Burks led the team with 24 points off the bench. The Hornets are slightly ahead of the Pistons, 64-62, in the all-time head-to-head matchup. The upcoming game will be the 127th regular meeting between the two franchises. Charlotte has won six of its last 10 games against the Pistons.
Starting lineup
The Hornets have six players on their injury list, including Mark Williams and Gordon Hayward. Kyle Lowry is also unavailable due to a pending trade with the Miami Heat. Their likely starting lineup for the upcoming game is expected to include LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Bryce McGowens, Miles Bridges and P.J Washington. On the other hand, the Pistons have two players listed as questionable for the game: Cade Cunningham and Monte Morris. Cunningham is expected to play and join Jayden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kevin Knox and Jalen Duren.
Prediction
The Detroit Pistons are slight favorites to defeat the Charlotte Hornets in Wednesday’s contest. Despite the huge losses, the Pistons are currently much better. Also, because they are playing this game at home, the Pistons have a little advantage. However, according to the oddsmakers, the Hornets will get the win and cover the spread. The total is also expected to go below 234.5 points.
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