Pistons beat Hornets 118-100 behind Jalen Duren

The Detroit Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-100 on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Spectrum Center, with Jalen Duren leading Detroit with 20 points and nine rebounds in a balanced road win. The Pistons improved to 59-22, while the Hornets dropped to 43-38 after a one-sided fourth quarter.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

First Quarter

Detroit set the tone early by outscoring Charlotte 36-30 in the opening period. The Pistons found a steady rhythm offensively, shooting efficiently and moving the ball well, while the Hornets stayed within reach behind LaMelo Ball’s playmaking and scoring.

Second Quarter

Charlotte answered with a stronger second quarter and edged Detroit 35-32 in the period. That push trimmed the halftime deficit to just three points, 68-65, and gave the Hornets a chance after they picked up their pace offensively and got more production in the half court.

Third Quarter

The teams played evenly in the third, each scoring 25 points. Detroit maintained its slim 93-90 lead heading into the final quarter, with neither side able to create meaningful separation during a stretch that featured several timely answers on both ends.

Fourth Quarter

The game turned decisively in the final 12 minutes. Detroit outscored Charlotte 25-10 in the fourth quarter, holding the Hornets to just 10 points and taking full control down the stretch. The Pistons’ defense tightened, their rebounding held up, and their offensive execution created the gap that put the game away.

Key Performers

Detroit Pistons:
Jalen Duren finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Detroit in scoring. Cade Cunningham directed the offense with seven assists, helping the Pistons pile up 29 team assists. As a team, Detroit shot 45-of-89 from the field, good for 50.6 percent, and also won the rebounding battle 49-41.

Charlotte Hornets:
LaMelo Ball led all scorers with 27 points and added eight assists, doing much of the offensive creation for Charlotte. Miles Bridges paced the Hornets with eight rebounds. Even with Ball’s production, Charlotte shot 38.6 percent from the field and 27.7 percent from three-point range, numbers that became harder to overcome as the game moved into the fourth quarter.

NerdSports Stat: Detroit won by 18 despite not having a 25-point scorer, a sign of how complete its attack was: the Pistons assisted on 29 of their 45 made field goals and finished plus-8 on the glass while Charlotte scored only 10 points in the fourth.

Game Analysis

This game came down to efficiency, ball movement, and late-game control. Detroit shot 50.6 percent from the floor compared with Charlotte’s 38.6 percent, and that difference showed up over the full 48 minutes. The Pistons also created a more connected offensive game, finishing with 29 assists to the Hornets’ 16.

Charlotte did enough offensively to stay close through three quarters, but the Hornets could not sustain that level in the final frame. Their 10-point fourth quarter was the defining stretch of the night. Detroit’s ability to finish possessions with rebounds, avoid long scoring droughts, and keep generating quality looks helped turn a three-point game entering halftime into a comfortable win.

The rebounding margin also mattered. Detroit’s 49-41 edge gave it extra stability, especially when Charlotte’s outside shooting was inconsistent. The Hornets went 13-of-47 from deep, and those misses limited their ability to keep pace once the Pistons tightened up defensively.

Closing Context

With the win, Detroit moved to 59-22 and continued to strengthen its position near the top of the Eastern Conference heading into the regular season’s closing stretch. Charlotte fell to 43-38, a result that adds pressure as the Hornets look to solidify their postseason standing. For Detroit, this was another example of a strong road performance built on balance and execution.

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