Hornets look to start 2025 off right against much-improved Pistons

The Hornets have their first test of 2025 tonight.

Zach Roberts | Jan 3, 2025

Nov 21, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) drives in during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

The Detroit Pistons have 15 wins this year. They had 14 last year. They are not the same team anymore, and the Charlotte Hornets have another matchup with them tonight. They may have won both of the earlier matchups with Detroit, but they did so by a combined three points. After a dismal 2024, the Hornets must get off to a good start in 2025.

Injury Report

For the Hornets, this is the injury report:

QUESTIONABLE: LaMelo Ball (L Ankle/R Wrist), Daquan Jeffries (R Adductor Tightness), Cody Martin (L Knee), and Brandon Miller (L Ankle). OUT: Tre Mann (Disc Irritation) and Grant Williams (R ACL).

The Pistons are dealing with the following:

OUT: Simone Fontecchio (personal) and Jaden Ivey (leg).

Game Preview

It's a rarity for the Charlotte Hornets to have their starting five on the floor together this year. They may be getting Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball back, and they could join Miles Bridges, Josh Green, and Mark Williams. They will need most if not all of them in the lineup to beat the Pistons.

The Hornets had just one win in December, and they're quickly losing ground in the Eastern Conference. They had a softer schedule in December, so January's slate of games might not be very kind to them. Detroit, despite losing Jaden Ivey, is playing well thanks to Cade Cunningham's growth. Stopping him will be key to defeating the Pistons.

The Hornets have not been particularly good in any category this year. They do have the 18th-best defensive rating, but their offensive rating is ranked third-to-last. In the same vein, the Pistons have the 19th-best offensive rating and the 20th-ranked defensive rating. This one may be a little bit of a slugfest.

Key Matchup - LaMelo Ball vs. Cade Cunningham

The two guards, assuming Ball does play, will be front and center tonight. They're both prospective All-Star guards in the East and head-to-head matchups are good for helping fans and coaches make decisions there.

Ball is averaging over 30 points with 7.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds. Cunningham is scoring 23.8 points per game with 6.8 rebounds and 9.7 assists. He is also shooting slightly better than Ball on the year. Put simply, if the two leading scorers tonight aren't Cunningham and Ball, it would be a surprise.

They will match up on each other plenty tonight, which probably bodes well for Cunningham. Ball is not a good defender, and he should have plenty of scoring opportunities. Cunningham has the same defensive rating as Ball, so it could be a shootout between the two point guards.

Projected Starting Lineup

No one in the starting five has been ruled out for the Hornets, so we will assume they are active. If they're not, look for Vasilije Micic and Seth Curry to step in.