Pistons 105, Bobcats 99: Brandon Knight scored 21 points and Greg Monroe collected 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as visiting Detroit held on to win in Charlotte for the sixth consecutive time.
Jose Calderon added 17 points and Rodney Stuckey had 12 off the bench for the Pistons, who have won four of their last six overall and six of the last seven against the Bobcats.
Kemba Walker poured in 24 points and Ramon Sessions had 18 points and eight assists in a reserve role for Charlotte, which failed in its bid to register consecutive wins for the first time since Nov. 19-21. The Bobcats have lost 36 of 42 since then and have the worst record in the NBA.
The Pistons led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter before the Bobcats came charging back. Byron Mullens hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to 94-91, and Charlotte got within one on three occasions but could never come up with the go-ahead basket.
The Bobcats got within 100-99 on a pair of Walker free throws with 1:16 left, but they didn't score the rest of the way, and Calderon hit three of four free throws down the stretch to help seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Knight suffered a hyperextended right knee with 1:45 left in the third quarter. He returned briefly in the fourth quarter but was in the game for less than a minute before twisting his ankle to end his night. He is listed as day-to-day. … Bobcats SG Gerald Henderson scored 13 points and has scored in double figures in nine straight games, averaging 15.2 points during that stretch. … Charlotte F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 11 points - including an emphatic dunk over Monroe in the fourth quarter - for his first game in double digits since Jan. 14.
Detroit | Charlotte | |
Brandon Knight 21 | Scoring | Kemba Walker 24 |
Will Bynum 7 | Assists | Ramon Sessions 8 |
Charlie Villanueva 9 | Rebounds | Bismack Biyombo 8 |
Jose Calderon 5 | Free Throws Made | Gerald Henderson 4 |
Will Bynum 1 | Steals | Ramon Sessions 2 |
Greg Monroe 3 | Blocks | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Detroit | 105 | 49.4 | 8-17 | 17-23 | 26 | 42 | 8 | 4 | 9 |
Charlotte | 99 | 40.4 | 11-25 | 16-21 | 25 | 46 | 9 | 3 | 9 |