Detroit Pistons continued their strong start to the season Saturday night, routing the Charlotte Hornets 112-86 at Little Caesars Arena. The win pushed Detroit to 22-6 and capped a dominant home performance built on rebounding and balance.
Cade Cunningham recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, doing most of his damage in three quarters. Cunningham sat the final four minutes as the outcome was decided and both coaches went deep into their benches.
Detroit seized control late in the first half after a sloppy opening stretch from both teams. Each side committed 11 turnovers before halftime, but the Pistons closed the second quarter on a 13-0 run to take a 55-45 lead into the break.
Jalen Duren anchored the interior with 19 points and 11 rebounds, helping Detroit finish with a decisive 62-41 edge on the glass. The Pistons also grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, creating repeated second-chance opportunities.
Tobias Harris added 19 points, while Duncan Robinson scored 15, including a momentum-shifting four-point play midway through the third quarter. That sequence extended the lead to 70-52 and sent LaMelo Ball to the bench with five fouls.
Ausar Thompson rounded out a strong starting lineup with 14 points, as all five Detroit starters scored in double figures. The Pistons shot just 21.4 percent from three-point range, but compensated by dominating inside and at the free-throw line.
Charlotte briefly made things interesting late in the third quarter. A 16-3 run cut the deficit to 79-72, but that was as close as the Hornets would get.
LaMelo Ball fouled out with 6:30 remaining after missing his final 10 shots, finishing with eight points on 3-of-14 shooting. Detroit immediately responded with a decisive 31-9 run to close the game.
Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel each scored 19 points to lead Charlotte, while Brandon Miller added 14. The Hornets shot 31 percent from the field and struggled to generate efficient offense for most of the night.
Detroit has now won seven of its last nine games and continues to assert itself at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Pistons will look to carry that momentum into Portland on Monday night.
Charlotte fell to 9-19 and will try to regroup on the road against Cleveland on Monday.
