National Basketball Association
Detroit 114, Charlotte 108
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, February 23, 2017
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Officials: #5 Kane Fitzgerald, #13 Monty McCutchen, #40 Leon Wood
Attendance: 14913

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed 13 of his first 18 shot attempts. That didn't discourage the Detroit Pistons guard from continuing to fire away during the closing minutes.

Caldwell-Pope suddenly caught fire and the Pistons roared back from an 18-point deficit to collect a 114-108 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night at The Palace.

Caldwell-Pope poured in 33 points, including 11 in the final 2:17 of regulation and seven more during the extra session.

"For a guy like Pope to go on a streak like that, he's got to be a bit of a gunslinger and not be worried about what's going on," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I'll say something if (the shot selection) gets really, really bad. But he's not going to get on those kinds of streaks if you're going to discourage him from shooting the ball."

Caldwell-Pope's 3-pointer with 18.2 seconds in regulation tied the game after Detroit trailed by 15 entering the final quarter. A smaller lineup, along with Caldwell-Pope's late eruption, made the comeback possible.

"They had some good looks that they just didn't knock down but we had a real spirit and energy about us in the fourth quarter and overtime," Van Gundy said.

Tobias Harris fired in 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Pistons (28-30), who handed the Hornets (24-33) their fifth straight loss overall and 12th straight on the road. Detroit also clinched the season series, 3-1.

"We got the pace going," said Harris, referring to Detroit's 27-9 advantage in fast-break points. "We were able to get stops and get out in transition and get some easy baskets. Big shots by KCP helped us all night and when he's hot like that, the only thing on our mind is to give him the basketball and let him make a play for us. That's what he was able to do."

Ish Smith tied his career high with 16 assists and Marcus Morris added 16 points and eight rebounds for Detroit. Smith's assist total off the bench was the highest by a Pistons reserve since Kevin Porter had 19 on Jan. 9, 1977. It was also the most by any NBA reserve since Brevin Knight dished out 17 for Charlotte on March 12, 2005.

Kemba Walker's 34 points, seven rebounds and six assists led the Hornets. Nicolas Batum had 18 points and six rebounds, Frank Kaminsky scored 17 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist tossed in 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Charlotte.

The Hornets shot 29 percent after the third quarter. Marco Belinelli missed a potential game-winning jumper at the end of regulation.

"We were just trying our best to get better than we were playing before the (All-Star) break," Walker said. "It looked like we just went back to our old ways."

Hornets coach Steve Clifford lamented his team's defense on Caldwell-Pope down the stretch.

"We had the game won in regulation," he said. "We blew two sets there. The two plays that KCP hit the threes on was stuff we worked on this morning. He made great shots, but they're mistakes."

Caldwell-Pope opened the scoring in overtime with a baseline jumper. Morris drained a 3 to make it a five-point spread. The Hornets didn't score in the extra session until Kidd-Gilchrist's layup with 1:59 left.

Morris answered with a jumper. Caldwell-Pope then put on the finishing touches with a 3 after Harris' offensive rebound and kickout.

The Hornets maintained the double-digit advantage throughout the third quarter and carried an 85-70 lead into the fourth.

NOTES: Hornets C Cody Zeller missed his fourth straight game with quad soreness. Backup Miles Plumlee (strained right calf) was also unavailable. ... The Pistons stood pat at the trade deadline despite a host of rumors involving C Andre Drummond, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and PG Reggie Jackson. "(GM) Jeff (Bower) talked to a lot of people. We've made no secret of that," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We placed a high value on our guys. You don't want to get that 'Deal Fever' where you just want to make a deal so bad, you make a bad one." ... Charlotte has posted a 52-36 record after the All-Star break in coach Steve Clifford's first three seasons. ... The Hornets' last road victory came against Orlando (120-101) on Dec. 28. ... Drummond recorded his 38th double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Detroit
Kemba Walker 34 Scoring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 33
Kemba Walker 6 Assists Ish Smith 15
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 14 Rebounds Andre Drummond 13
Kemba Walker 9 Free Throws Made Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 4
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 2 Steals Stanley Johnson 2
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 2 Blocks Tobias Harris 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 108 41.3 7-30 25-26 19 50 7 5 8
Detroit 114 41.1 15-37 11-12 29 57 2 5 9
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Boston. The Pistons have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .516 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Hornets have a W/L % of .542 after a win and .333 after a loss.