Brandon Miller’s putback at the buzzer gave the Charlotte Hornets a 108-107 victory against the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Miles Bridges pumped in 27 points and LaMelo Ball scored five of his 25 points in the final minute to help the Hornets end a three-game losing streak.
Miller, who missed time earlier this season with an injury, finished with 19 points by rebounding Grant Williams’ missed 3-pointer and scoring just in time. Williams posted 12 points off the bench.
Ronald Holland II’s steal and basket in the final 10 seconds put the Pistons in position to win before Charlotte’s time-out in advance of the final sequence.
Jaden Ivey’s 21 points and Cade Cunningham’s triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists led the Pistons. Tobias Harris added 14 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. and reserve Paul Reed supplied 13 points apiece.
Ball’s 3-point basket propelled the Hornets to a 104-103 lead with 55.2 seconds left. He boosted the margin to three points with a driving floater on Charlotte’s next possession.
Detroit had gained a little space in the tight game by going up 96-92 on Hardaway’s 3-pointer with 4:02 left. The score was tied three times in the final 3:27 at 96, 98 and 101.
The Hornets made all 16 of their free throw attempts during the game, while the Pistons were 5-for-9 at the foul line.
Detroit lost center Jalen Duren, 20, to an injured left ankle after just eight minutes of playing time. He exited with zero points and three rebounds one game after notching his 67th career double-double, marking the second most in NBA history for a player before turning 21 years old (Dwight Howard, 105).
Charlotte had a third-quarter stretch of almost three minutes without scoring, but Williams’ basket and Tidjane Salaun’s 3-pointer provided a 69-64 lead.
Each team scored 31 points in both the third and fourth quarters. Charlotte led 77-76 after the third.
The Hornets held a 46-45 edge at the half, never leading by more than three. Charlotte outscored the Pistons 9-1 on first-half free throws.
