(Field Level Media) Kemba Walker piled up 24 points and eight assists and Tony Parker came off the bench to also score 24 points, leading the visiting Charlotte Hornets to a 113-103 win over the Detroit Pistons yesterday.
Cody Zeller contributed 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, while Jeremy Lamb chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Hornets.
Charlotte forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist left the game in the second quarter with an ankle sprain.
Andre Drummond recorded his fifth 20-20 game of the season with 23 points and 22 rebounds for Detroit. Reggie Bullock supplied a career-high 23 points and Reggie Jackson tossed in 19 points with seven assists.
Pistons forward Blake Griffin was ejected for a flagrant foul with 7:06 remaining. The officials ruled that Griffin made excessive contact against Hornets guard Malik Monk as Monk drove through the lane. Griffin finished with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Parker scored 12 points in the opening half as the Hornets held a 51-49 halftime advantage.
Charlotte scored the first seven points of the second half, capped by a Walker layup, for a nine-point lead.
Moments later, Walker forced a Drummond turnover, then was fouled on a 3-point attempt. He made all three free throws, giving the Hornets a 71-59 lead with 5:21 left in the third. Marvin Williams made a 15-point spread with a 3-pointer.
The Pistons were able to pull within 83-75 by the end of the quarter.
Once again, the Hornets came out flying at the start of a quarter. They scored the first eight points of the quarter, including a pair of baskets by rookie Miles Bridges. He finished off the run with a putback and a layup.
After Detroit scored, the Hornets add two baskets with Bridges soaring through the lane off a feed from Parker and dunking to make it 95-77. Parker soon hit a three to nudge the lead to 19.
Detroit cut Charlotte’s lead to single digits during the final two minutes.
