- Analysis
- Detroit already beat this team five days ago, and the rematch sets up even better for the Pistons. Detroit at Charlotte tips off Monday at 4:30 p.m. PT at Spectrum Center. The Pistons lead the Central Division at 5-1, sit second in the Eastern Conference, and are coming off a 110-94 win over Brooklyn, while Charlotte is 3-4 and on a three-game losing streak after losing 109-104 to Philadelphia.
The first meeting is the blueprint. Detroit won 97-89 in Detroit on Wednesday, with Cade Cunningham scoring 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting with seven assists and just one turnover, and Paul Reed filling in well for the injured Jalen Duren with 16 points and three steals. Cunningham is averaging 22.2 points and 7.2 assists per game, with Duncan Robinson adding 16.8 a night, and Detroit's system has already proven it can grind out a win against Charlotte even shorthanded. Charlotte, meanwhile, ranks last in the league in scoring at 98.3 points per game and is averaging just 21.6 assists, so its offense has no margin for error against a Detroit team that defends and controls tempo.
Charlotte's injury picture is still messy, and one possible return does not fix it. Kon Knueppel, Grant Williams, and Kylan Boswell are listed out, and while Coby White is reported set to make his season debut Monday after a calf injury, that would be his first game of the year, not a finished product stepping back into rhythm. Detroit is also without Duren with a hamstring strain, and Isaiah Joe is questionable, but the Pistons already won this matchup without Duren, and Charlotte's backup point guard Dennis Schroder just had one of his worst performances of the season Sunday against Philadelphia. Expect Cunningham to control the game again, Detroit's defense to hold Charlotte under 100 again, and the Pistons to pull away for the win and cover on Monday.
Jim's Play: 545. Pistons
