By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Hornets 118, Pistons 103 – The Pistons failed to complete a comeback victory as the Charlotte Hornets defeated Detroit on Saturday night.
Detroit fell behind 38-32 after the first quarter, trailed 69-53 at halftime and were at an 88-81 disadvantage after three quarters.
The Pistons managed to cut their deficit to as low as five points late in the third quarter, but Charlotte closed the contest on a 30-22 fourth quarter run.
The Hornets were led by Marvin Williams with 22 points, while Nicolas Batum added 17 points and 11 assists and Kemba Walker chipped in with 16 points.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope paced the Pistons with 24 points while Reggie Jackson added 20 points and 10 assists.
The Pistons are now 33-32 on the season, good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They are a half-game ahead of the Chicago Bulls with 17 games remaining.
Detroit will continue its road trip in Philadelphia on Saturday night against the 76ers.
Record: 33-32
4th Place in Central Division (13.5 games behind Cleveland)
8th Place in Eastern Conference (13.5 games behind Cleveland)
½ ahead of Chicago for the last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff berth: 18
Magic # to clinch Central Division title: 32
Magic # to clinch Eastern Conference title: 32
Misery # towards elimination from Central Division title: 5
Misery # towards elimination from playoff contention: 19
Next Game: 03/12/2016 @ Philadelphia 76ers 7:00 p.m. @ Wells Fargo Center
Stats: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 24 point, Reggie Jackson 20 points 10 assists, Tobias Harris 20 points, Marcus Morris 13 points, Andre Drummond 9 rebounds.
