Next on the to-do list for the Charlotte Hornets is picking up their 10th consecutive victory.
That will be the objective against the visiting Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
“It means the world because I’ve been through a lot with this team,” Hornets forward Miles Bridges said. “I’ve been through the lows, I’ve been to the play-in, and now I think we’re at the highest of our highs and want to keep going.”
It seems different even from rookie guard Kon Knueppel’s vantage point.
“We’re playing meaningful basketball, meaningful games,” Knueppel said. “And so every game, it’s going to be kind of looking at the standings and all that, and we’re battling for playoff position as we hit the home stretch of the season after the All-Star break.”
When the Hornets won 126-119 Saturday night at Atlanta, Bridges had 26 points and Knueppel had 23 points. Knueppel made six 3-point shots. That matched the Charlotte franchise’s longest winning streak since the 1998-99 season.
The Hornets also claimed the longest active winning streak in the NBA.
The Pistons have been humming along as well, winners of six of their last eight games. That includes Friday night’s 118-80 home rout of the New York Knicks.
The Pistons hold the best record in the Eastern Conference, so this should be a challenge for the Hornets along the lines of their Jan. 31 home win over San Antonio and Thursday’s win at Houston.
“We’ve shown that we can beat teams that are good teams, playoff teams, and we want to keep that going,” Bridges said.
Charlotte has shown necessary elements that would allow it to rise in the standings. The Hornets have climbed from 12th to 10th in the Eastern Conference — the final play-in spot — during their winning streak.
“It’s about learning along the journey and embracing every part that comes with it,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “… The care factor in that locker room between the players. The ability to want to adapt. We’ve thrown a lot of different lineups at them.”
Cade Cunningham has been the big source of offense for Detroit, leading the team in scoring in five of the last eight games. He averages 25.1 points and 9.7 assists per game.
The Hornets will have to be attentive defensively, where they’ve shown improvement.
“The communication got better, our defensive execution and coverages were a lot cleaner,” Lee said of the most-recent game. “The physicality on the boards, it takes all five guys to participate.”
The Pistons also are working to see how newly acquired Kevin Huerter fits into the plans. He played late in the Knicks game and provided eight points in eight minutes.
“I don’t want to put him into a situation where he’s uncomfortable and he can’t succeed,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Huerter played briefly in that game without a practice with the team. So the weekend should have provided an opportunity to groom him for whichever role he lands with the Pistons.
“We need to get some time so he can be successful when his number is called,” Bickerstaff said.
The Pistons will monitor the status of Jaren Duren, the team’s No. 2 scorer (17.7 ppg) and leading rebounder (10.5 rpg) who missed Friday’s game because of knee soreness.
On Monday, Detroit begins a stretch of four consecutive road games that will be interrupted by the All-Star break.
–Field Level Media
