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The Charlotte Hornets look like they have gotten back on track, winners of back-to-back games in the middle of a tough stretch of four games in five days.
But Tuesday comes arguably the toughest challenge of the season.
The 10-7 Hornets will host the 8-10 Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, less than 24 hours after a revenge thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies. Detroit, which is in the middle of a four-game road trip, is missing Reggie Jackson, but has been getting a balanced scoring effort from their team. Six players are averaging double-figures, led by Tobias Harris (16.4 PPG) and Andre Drummond, the double-double machine (averaging 14.6 PPG and 13.4 RPG) who has given Charlotte fits in the past.
The Pistons, though, are 1-8 on the road this season, while the Hornets are 5-4 at home. So, how could this be a difficult game?
Well, look to our friend Baxter Holmes at ESPN for the answer. Prior to the start of the season, Holmes identified this game as very close to what some call a “scheduled loss,” a difficult game that is played when the team is already exhausted from a previous contest. Holmes says the Hornets are in trouble because:
“Leaving Memphis, the Hornets lose an hour flying home-and less than 24 hours later cap a four games-in-five-days stretch vs. the rough-and-tumble Pistons.”
The Hornets caught a bit of a break, as Monday’s game against the Grizzlies was a blowout, so starters and key players were allowed to take break and rest near the end of the game. Hopefully, Kemba and co. will be ready to rumble in what is sure to be a tough, gritty showdown at Spectrum Center.