Preview: Short-handed Hornets take on injury-plagued Pistons; Miles Bridges gets stuck in quarantine

What: Charlotte Hornets (31-33) vs Detroit Pistons (19-46)

When: 7:00 pm EST

Where: Little Caesars Arena; Detroit, Mich.

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

After beating the Pistons just a couple of days ago, the Hornets will travel to Detroit and attempt to complete a season sweep. They won 105-102 back on March 11, and 107-94 this past Saturday.

Charlotte sits at 31-33 on the season, good for eighth in the Eastern Conference. They are 2.5 games behind the Celtics for seventh place and only have a 1.0 game cushion on the Pacers in ninth. Meanwhile, the Pistons are 19-46 this year and sit at 15th in the East.

Injury report

Just when Hornets fans were ready to have their full team back and healthy again, the injury bug decided to strike. Devonte’ Graham (knee), Cody Martin (ankle), and Gordon Hayward (foot) remain out for tonight’s game. To make matters worse, Miles Bridges will also be out due to health and safety protocols. Shams Charania reported that Bridges is expected to miss 10-14 days. Wojnarowski reports that PJ Washington will miss tonight’s game for personal reasons.

The Pistons are also dealing with a hefty injury report. Jerami Grant (knee), Wayne Ellington (calf), and Cory Joseph (ankle) are all considered day-to-day after not playing last night vs Orlando. Meanwhile, Jahlil Okafor (personal), Dennis Smith Jr. (knee), and Rodney McGruder (elbow) are all out.

Keys for the Hornets

Having LaMelo Ball and Malik Monk back on the court definitely increases Charlotte’s chances in this one. Detroit’s lengthy injury report also helps. With Grant out, the Pistons will be without their best player. Although the Hornets may not be the best defensive team, applying even the slightest bit of pressure could help stunt the shot-making ability of Detroit’s short-handed roster.

The main guy to watch out for will be Saddiq Bey. The rookie standout recently set the record for most games with 5+ three-pointers as a rookie. Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson each had nine, while Bey already has 10 this season. With no Grant, Ellington, or McGruder, stopping Bey on the perimeter is a top priority.

Lastly, Ball, Monk, and Terry Rozier have to absolutely ball out. With Bridges and Washington now sidelined, there is even more pressure on these three guys to fill up the scoring column. Detroit is an extremely physical basketball team, so the Hornets will have to move the ball a lot. These three guards will be the key to the offense and should be able to put up big-time numbers.