Pistons battle Hornets + Returning stars

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – Episode Summary

Episode: Pistons battle Hornets + Returning stars
Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keda (Keita), Hunter Patterson

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily recaps a jam-packed Monday night in the NBA featuring dramatic player returns from injury, a deep-dive into the chippy Pistons-Hornets game (including an on-court fight), and analysis of notable narratives around playoff-hopeful teams. The crew breaks down what these developments mean for contenders and up-and-comers alike, with on-the-ground insight from Hunter Patterson live from Charlotte.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Standout Game Recaps

Cavaliers vs. Nuggets

• Result: Cavaliers win 119-117 at home over the Nuggets
• Key Players:
  • James Harden: 22 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, his contributions in the fourth quarter were crucial.
  • Donovan Mitchell: 32 PTS, but Harden hit the biggest shots down the stretch.
  • Jared Allen: Continued benefiting from Harden’s playmaking, another strong game.
• Quote:
  • “He made or assisted three…five threes in the fourth quarter. Just big shot after big shot when they needed it.” — Dave DuFour [03:26]
• Notable Moment:
  • Cleveland sweeps Denver in the regular season.
• Timestamp: 02:46–04:18

Return of Key Players

• Jayson Tatum (Boston): Practicing with the G-League affiliate, impressively ahead in recovery from Achilles tear suffered May 12, 2025.
• Jaylin Williams ("J-Dub") (Thunder): Returned to lead OKC with 23 PTS in a win over the Lakers after missing two games; referenced as having poise and closing out games late.
• Nicola Topic (OKC): Came back from cancer treatment to debut for OKC Blue (G-League) with 7 PTS and 7 AST. High expectations for NBA debut.
• Franz Wagner (Magic): Played first game in ~427 days with Mo Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Jalen Suggs—Magic win, showing potential at full strength.
• Scoot Henderson (Portland): Back from absence, aggressive and effective (12 PTS, 8/10 FTs, 7 AST) in a win over the Sixers.
• Quote:
  • “Being able to draw fouls is huge. But I also am thinking about just like, hey, being able to be a playmaker, being able to draw fouls. This is exactly what Portland wants.” — Zena Keda [10:36]

Jazz vs. Heat: “Blatant” Tanking

• Utah sits starters in the fourth quarter yet beats an uninspired Miami at home; Ace Bailey and Bryce Sensabaugh take over.
• Quote:
  • “This is a team that did not want to win that game. They were trying to give it to you, and you still found a way to lose.” — Zena Keda [12:01]

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2. Pistons vs. Hornets—“Live at the Hive” Fight and Analysis

Timestamps: 16:42–29:33

The Altercation

• The game turned ugly after escalating physicality, which the officials failed to rein in.
• Spark: Detroit’s Jalen Duren delivers a hard playoff-level foul on Charlotte’s Moussa Diabaté, leading to a heated nose-to-nose confrontation.
• Diabaté and Duren exchange shoves; Diabaté begins swinging, breaks through security, but is tripped before landing anything meaningful.
• Miles Bridges (Hornets), involved peripherally, throws a punch; Isaiah Stewart (Pistons, on bench) races in, puts Bridges in a headlock—punches thrown, but no injuries.
• Quote:
  • “He was irate, to say the least. He swung at JD a few times, he fought through some security … thankfully, he tripped and didn't get as close.” — Hunter Patterson [17:32]
  • “Kudos to Bridges for kind of weaving out of the way of Stu’s first punch, because that could have been terrible.” — Hunter Patterson [19:04]

Game Impact and Takeaways

• After the fight and ejections, both teams regroup and the game remains competitive.
• Pistons win 110–104, ending Charlotte's nine-game win streak.
• Cade Cunningham dominates: 33 PTS, including 14 in the second half—dedicates the game to his late high school coach.
• Quote:
  • “Cade played really well and he doesn’t really need much motivation…but tonight I think is extra special for him.” — Hunter Patterson [27:41]
• Crowd praised for electric energy and resilience of both teams.
• On Pistons’ Identity:
  • “That to me, Cade Cunningham is the head of the snake … his physicality, his presence, it is so ingrained into how he plays.” — Zena Keda [21:22]
• On Hornets’ Mindset:
  • Coach Charles Lee and rookie Brandon Miller both publicly respected Detroit’s physical style, saying it brought “the best out of them.”
  • Lee also acknowledged pregame that a December blowout loss to Detroit inspired Charlotte’s run to toughness this season.
  • “He gave credit to Detroit for bringing the best out of the Charlotte Hornets.” — Zena Keda [22:35]
• Role of Veterans:
  • Tobias Harris (Pistons) and Grant Williams (Hornets) cited as calming, steadying influences during the chaos.
  • “The person that pulled off Moussa initially was Tobias Harris … they got back on track because of Grant Williams.” — Zena Keda [28:00]

X-Factors

• Paul Reed (“B-Ball Paul,” Pistons) steps in after ejections, provides instant impact (12 PTS in 18 mins).
  • “He’s just someone who stays ready so he doesn’t have to get ready… That’s what leads him to having 12 points in 18 minutes.” — Hunter Patterson [26:29]
• Con Knippel (Hornets rookie): Keeps breaking rookie 3PT records, plays with confidence and seems vital for Charlotte’s playoff hopes.

Playoff Implications

• This matchup has real first-round intrigue; Detroit’s physical brand may be a looming challenge if these teams meet again.
• DuFour notes Pistons’ depth and coaching are shaping a championship-contender mindset.

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3. Other Notable Segments

Veteran Presence Matters

• Both teams’ composure in the aftermath and ability to refocus highlighted the value of seasoned mentors (Tobias Harris, Grant Williams).

Commentary on Officiating

• Refs allowed excessive contact, which added to tension but showcased the league’s need to monitor physicality.

Quick Hits

• Jayson Tatum’s use of the “speed bridge technique” for quick Achilles recovery explained.
• League investigating the Thunder for player resting—hosts see nothing coming from it ("nothing burger").
• Magic’s on-court convergence of their core four for the first time in over a year.

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “He made or assisted three…five threes in the fourth quarter. Just big shot after big shot when they needed it.” — Dave DuFour [03:26]
• “The news that we just found out that Jimmy Butler just now, as in yesterday, got his ACL surgery, was a little surprising for folks to hear.” — Zena Keda [04:53]
• “This guy is good if you're willing to make that sort of a risk … after major knee surgery and chemotherapy, he's back on the court and immediately finds some efficiency in OKC Blue.” — Zena Keda [08:23]
• “Being able to draw fouls is huge … being able to be a playmaker, being able to draw fouls. This is exactly what Portland wants.” — Zena Keda [10:36]
• “Players are just too competitive. They’re not going to give it up.” — Zena Keda [12:01]
• “Killed the game for a little bit. And this was a great game.” — Dave DuFour on the Pistons-Hornets fight [19:39]
• “Cade Cunningham is the head of the snake when it comes to Detroit … his physicality, his presence, it is so ingrained into how he plays.” — Zena Keda [21:22]
• “I think this game got back on track because of the Tobias Harris. It got back on track because of Grant Williams.” — Zena Keda [28:00]
• “That fight is going to get a lot of attention. But that game was awesome. It was so much fun. It was electric.” — Dave DuFour [29:06]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Cavs vs. Nuggets Recap: 02:46–04:18
• Tatum Recovery & Player Returns: 04:18–10:36
• Jazz vs. Heat Tank Watch: 11:32–12:31
• Pistons-Hornets Fight & Game Analysis: 16:42–29:33

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Tone & Style Notes

The episode is energetic, conversational, and occasionally irreverent—mixing technical breakdowns with locker-room banter and sincere admiration for players’ stories and resilience.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode offers fast-paced, detailed breakdowns of big NBA stories—from playoff pushes and injury comebacks to an all-out brawl between the Pistons and Hornets. It contextualizes how these moments shape teams’ identities and playoff prospects, highlighting the chemistry, competitiveness, and character of young NBA squads. The hosts balance sharp analysis with insider anecdotes, memorable quotes, and on-the-ground reporting, making this round-up essential for keeping pace with the league’s most important storylines.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for February 10, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Keda. Coming up, we had a night of comebacks. Bunch of guys coming back from injury. We're going to hit those. And we had a fight in the Detroit Pistons Charlotte Hornets game. We're going to talk to Hunter Patterson about that. Good morning everybody. What's up, Xena?

[Zena Keda]

What up, Dave? You ready after the Benito ball?

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, you know that. What, What a show. That was a fantastic little concert in the middle of a boring football game.

[Zena Keda]

But don't worry, the NBA got you if you were bored with your sports on Sunday, oh, my God.

[Dave DeFore]

Look, guys, Monday night in the NBA has just become too much. We've got national games every night. I'm gonna have to file a petition with the league. We can't have too much stuff happening on a night like this. So we're going to run through as much of it as we can before we get to the break and get to Hunter Patterson. We gotta start. Cavs Nuggets. The Cavaliers get a big win. 119, 117. They beat the Nuggets at home. And look, Zeno, we talked about the Harden edition and how much he was going to help, especially in fourth quarters when Donovan Mitchell's got all that extra attention. Harden finishes the game 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists. He made or assisted three. Five threes in the fourth quarter. Big hit. A hit.

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[Dave DeFore]

I mean, just big shot after big shot when they needed it.

[Zena Keda]

Once again, this was so fun to see at the end of the game, Donovan Mitchell go up to James Harden, the biggest smile on his face. And for me, I think that that is such an indicative, like feeling of how good Cleveland feels right now with James Harden in the mix. 45 points and 15 assists since he's joined this team, they get a big win over Denver. This is exactly what you need when Donovan Mitchell is doing his thing. 32 points he had last night. But guess who hit the big shot to get them over the hump? Until Don Mitchell could close it out with two free throws. It was James Harden. And one. Those are the. That's what he's been missing as his number two. And so I'm. I'm excited for what Cleveland's brewing here. And Denver gets swept again by Cleveland. This is crazy. What's going on.

[Dave DeFore]

Another. Another big game from Jared Allen, too. We talked about how much he was going to benefit because of what Harden does. All right, let's get to some of these comebacks. Starting early in the day. The Boston Celtics announced that Jason Tatum was going to be joining their G League affiliate, Maine Celtics, and he's going to apparently practice with them and the Celtics. Now, look, Xena, I've been. I've been hot on this since we saw that video of Jason Tatum playing no contact, one on one. He looks so good moving around in that video. This is another sign. Apparently he's getting close to a comeback. I don't know.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, this is actually crazy. Remember that Jason Tatum tore his Achilles on May 12, 2025. Typical recovery time is around 8 to 12 months. He's already back on the court or getting ready to get back on the court and do work. We've seen him walking around, no boot on, and I was looking quickly of like, how did this happen? What has been kind of attributed to why he's been able to get back so fast? Well, one, he underwent surgery within 24 hours of the injury, which is huge. We've seen a lot of pro athletes do that. That typically always helps. Which is why the news that we just found out that Jimmy Butler just now, as in yesterday, got his ACL surgery was a little surprising for folks to hear. But either way, the second thing was this thing called the speed bridge technique and it basically it's a minimally invasive procedure and that uses bone anchors and high strength sutures to create an internal brace within where your Achilles is supposed to be. And it allows for earlier weight bearing and range of motion exercises. So shout out to the speed bridge. I wish we had a legitimate doctor to be able to break that down, but I read about that this morning and I thought that was really cool. But this is, this is great for Boston. They got boots of it. He's rolling. He's in the mix already. Boston's looking pretty good as they head towards the playoffs.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, look, if they add Tatum to a team that's already pretty good, I, you know, we keep saying the east is kind of a pushover. I don't know, all of a sudden it might be, it might be a battle and not just a bloodbath because of the fighting, you know, with Detroit. All right, J Dub was back for the Thunder last night. Put up 23 points in a win over the Lakers. You know, this was the, the Thunder really needed this win. They lost two straight. You know, they've been struggling a little bit. Also found out yesterday that the NBA was opening an investigation into the Thunder for resting all their players on the second night of a back to back with the national TV game last week. Xena, do you think anything's going to come out of that?

[Zena Keda]

I don't think so. And not at all. I think this is, this is a nothing burger, as they like to say. But no, this was great for Jalen Williams to come back. And Jalen Williams did not miss a beat. He was the one that kind of helped close that game out. 10 points in those last, you know, the fourth quarter and poor Austin Reeves being on the short end of that stick as Jayla Williams just went ahead and closed the game out for them. But yes, you are able to beat a team like The Lakers that are trying to, you know, make a run for it right before the All Star break, they don't have Luka, don't get me wrong. But this is a good win for okc, especially as they reintegrate Jayla Williams back into what they're doing.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. And he needs it. And. And there's a little bit of an opportunity here where maybe he can find his groove without Shay there. You know, he doesn't have to kind of fit in around Shay. Rest of the guys will fit in around him. Also, we gotta mention Nicola Topic, back from his titicular cancer treatment. He made his debut for the OKC Blue, 7.7 assists in 16 minutes. And all I have heard about this guy is that he is fantastic. We have not seen him really in the NBA. Right. Like, we are hoping that this is the year that we get to see him. And with the way that the Thunder have been struggling with injuries, I mean, they might need them by the time we get around to the playoffs. I mean, this guy might get right.

[Zena Keda]

I mean, just to put it in perspective, there's a reason why you draft this guy 12th in the NBA draft months after you find out that he tore a ligament in his knee.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Zena Keda]

You know, this guy is good if you are willing to make that sort of a risk. And so it is really exciting to see that after that major knee surgery and having to go undergo chemotherapy, he's back on the court and immediately, you know, find some efficiency in OKC Blue. And if there's one thing we know about okc, they know something about development. So imagine he'll be able to get back and get back in the group very quickly.

[Dave DeFore]

Cam Thomas made his debut for the Bucks, but it was a little bit overshadowed because Franz Wagner was back. The Magic finally getting healthy. They pick up a win. You know, it's the Bucks. They're not going to win a lot of games from here on out. Franz had 14 off the bench, looked pretty good. I mean, it was the first time in something like 427 days that Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner, Paolo Bankero and Jalen Suggs all played in a game that is insane.

[Zena Keda]

I don't think I knew that. Static. So you just said that that is. That's wild. But yes, getting Franz Wagner. We know that. That how crucial that is. We also know, though, that Franz and Paulo have been better apart this season. So we'll see now as things get picked up, as teams are trying to get towards the playoff and pick up some significant wins, just how much you know better. They'll, they'll meld together. Especially now with Jalen Suggs being the person that I like. The way you put it always the, the coffee, stir the mix, the drink.

[Dave DeFore]

The, the, the straw that stirs the drink.

[Zena Keda]

There it is. I love that. Yes. So we'll see what that all comes together. But in the meanwhile, Anthony Black. Keep going off, sir. Keep going. He's ridiculous.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, he's kind of crazy. Cam Thomas had four points.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah. For the Bucks.

[Dave DeFore]

So keep an eye on that one. Guys. Scoot Henderson is back. I mean, everyone came back right ahead of, of the All Star break, which I guess is smart because you know, you get, get extra time to rest. You see where you're at. So Scoot Henderson was back and man, the Blazers look really good against the Sixers. No embiid out there for the Sixers, so you know there's going to be a drop off. But they get a 17 point win over the Sixers. Denny Abdia is back 26 points, but scoot, this is the story from the game to me, puts up 12 points, 8 of 10 from the free throw line. He just was getting to the paint at will.

[Zena Keda]

And if you watch this game and you saw how Scoot Henderson plays and if you remember what he played like when he first started in the league and was coming straight out of G League, Ignite, there was always this level of poise about him. Like he was real comfortable, real smooth. And that's why he got drafted so high. He would get into the paint with ease in the G League and we saw that in the early parts of his career kind of struggle. And he started picking up steam at the very end of last year and now he's back in the mix. He looked exactly like what we've known him to be. Someone that can get within the teeth of the defense with ease. He was kicking out to Denny Abdia, seven assists in that first game back. Like that's huge. I know you talked about the, the free throws. Being able to draw fouls is huge. But I also am thinking about just like, hey, being able to be a playmaker, being able to draw fouls. This is exactly what Portland wants. It's not going to be a difference maker in the west, but again, it's the key pieces that are setting up Portland for the future.

[Dave DeFore]

And finally we have to talk about the Utah Jazz because they did it again. Xena.

[Hunter Patterson]

Wow.

[Dave DeFore]

Lowry Marketing Skin blatant. Jaren Jackson Jr. And Yousef Nurkic. They all played 25 minutes in the game. They all sat the entire fourth quarter and the Miami Heat stink enough that the Utah Jazz still got the win. Ace Bailey might have to get the treatment that these other guys are getting. He just kind of took over Ace Bailey and Bryce sent a ball just too much for the Miami Heat.

[Zena Keda]

Listen, this, you've. You mentioned this the other night. Like, players are just too competitive. They're not going to give it up.

[Dave DeFore]

That's right.

[Zena Keda]

And Kyle Filipowski, you got to throw him in there too. Like, what are you doing at eight points in the fourth quarter? Like, yeah, they, they were playing too hard at the end of that game. It is. I can't say it's getting blatant. It's been blatant. But Miami get the memo. This is a team that did not want to win that game. They were trying to give it to you, and you still found a way to lose. Like, that's. Come on. Do better by Eric's at home, by the way.

[Dave DeFore]

At home.

[Zena Keda]

Come on.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Shout out to Mota Kill. By the way, who had an epic rant that I got a chance to see recently about the Miami Heat in their front office. And man, just failure after failure. Guys, stick around after the break. We're gonna do our best to break down the the game between the Pistons and the Hornets. In spite of the fight kind of getting in the way. Great game. Hunter Patterson was there, so stick around for him after the break.

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[Dave DeFore]

We weren't in Detroit, so we can't call it Malice at The Palace Part 2. It was more like it. Got a little live at the Hives. You know, we got a big fight in the middle of the Charlotte Hornets Detroit Pistons game. Our man Hunter Patterson. Luckily you weren't involved in the Frankus at all, right?

[Hunter Patterson]

Not at all. Not at all. I was safe up here.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, walk me through what happened here. Because you know, this was a game that started out extremely Physical. I actually think the referees did a poor job of containing the physicality. If you go and look, look. Lamelo ball took zero free throws in the game. And that stands out to me as, you know, like when you go back and you're looking at box score and you're rewatching the tape, they weren't really calling a lot of contact. And then the, the tempers just kind of exploded.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, it was lack of calls for sure. Throughout the game. I. I would say both ways. And what led up to it was just kind of Musa and JD had kind of been drawing back and forth. JD Was trying to get to the basket. Musa gave a hard foul. I didn't think it was anything too out of the norm of just typical hard foul in the league. But JD Went up to him. Yeah, yeah, it was. I thought it was a playoff foul, nothing malicious. But Duran went to Musa. It looked like they kind of. They were like nose to nose, their heads were touching. JD Might have kind of butted Moussa's head away from his and Moussa took exception to it, got closer to J.D. j.D. Pushed him away and gave him a little mush face. Mush face for sure. Looked like some fingers were to the face and Moussa kind of lost it at that point. He was irate, to say the least. He swung at JD A few times, he fought through some security and he made it back to J.D. thankfully, he tripped and didn't get as close to Duran as he. As he could have. I don't think that would have ended well for either. Either of them involved.

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[Hunter Patterson]

And from there, Miles Bridges kind of took exception to everything after he had been held back. And he also lunged for Duran and.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, he got some cheap shots in there.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, he. I mean, they were both kind of being held back at that point, but Bridges got free from security, he threw a jab, and of course, Stu took exception to all of it. He was on the bench at the time. He beelined across the floor and he kind of had had his final say at the end of it all and had Bridges and a headlock. Punches were thrown. Kudos to Bridges for kind of weaving out of the way of ST's first punch, because that could have been terrible. But yeah, just not. Not really what you want to see in an NBA game, obviously.

[Dave DeFore]

No, it killed the game for a little bit. And this was a great game. I mean, look, this could be a first round of the Eastern Conference playoff series. Right? Like we might get this in the playoffs. And I thought that this game delivered that, especially once the. Once everyone recovered from the fight, they got right back to it. And I thought the refs did a better job down the stretch. The pistons do win 1 10, 1 04, but man, I think the Hornets put some fear into them a little bit. We got a chance to see what the Hornets have been doing on, you know, their nine game win streak now is over. They play the best team in the east. Pretty good matchup. I think, you know, if you're the Hornets, you're probably feeling pretty good about where you're at. If you're the Pistons, you're probably pretty happy about walking away with this win.

[Hunter Patterson]

Absolutely. Brandon Miller is a Hooper. Con caniple Hooper. We know Melo is a Hooper. Each of them had at least 20. Brandon Miller finished with 24, which was a team high. And it was just a good game back and forth down the stretch. This was an amazing crowd here at Spectrum Center. They were extremely into the game. There was a good portion of Pistons fans in here as well. And Cade had 14 of his 33 in the second half. He kind of got in the rhythm as he usually does when games get close down the stretch and they ended up pulling away and it was a good overall game.

[Zena Keda]

One thing I absolutely adore about watching Charlotte games in general, particularly on league pass, is when you get to see and hear their announcers. And I should have gotten their names, the announcers names from Charlotte, but they.

[Dave DeFore]

Eric Collins and Dell Curry. Shout out to the goat. Eric Collins makes a game fun.

[Hunter Patterson]

Man. I could only imagine how the broadcast.

[Zena Keda]

Was broadcast was legendary. Legendary. But what I appreciate about the game and why I always appreciate about Eric Collins and Dell Curry is that they give love to both sides. Of course, they definitely love their team and they give a lot of love for the Charlotte Hornets, but they were giving Kate Cunningham his credit. When he continued to get to his spot utilizing his physicality, he continued to crash the glass and get rebounds that you typically don't see. As they continue to mention your point guard, your point guard, that's that point guard getting those balls. And that to me, Cade Cunningham is the head of the snake when it comes to Detroit. Like his physicality, his presence, it is so ingrained into how he plays that I think it's why it was so hard to get the chippiness out of the game. This is just the brand of Detroit basketball. And that's how they started the game. Lamelo was getting, I mean, bumped. It was bumper cars as Lamelo was.

[Dave DeFore]

Trying to bring the Ball up the court, right?

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, it was super physical from the jump. And so what I love most about this was Charles Lee at the end of all this. He ends up getting ejected later on because this. Grant Williams gets a foul called on what he considered a soft foul.

[Dave DeFore]

So soft.

[Zena Keda]

And I agree with that. Yeah, we think we're all on the same point there. But Charles Lee didn't take time to complain about the refereeing, which he could have because it was incredibly physical all night. He gave credit to Detroit for bringing the best out of the Charlotte Hornets. And he. He was able to, you know, call out what happened with his team and, you know, the fact that they got. They got into the game and they got caught up in it. Without denigrating Detroit, which teams could easily have looked at the Detroit brand of basketball and tried to say that it's a lower tier in the way that they show up and the way that they're physical, he amplified them. He said they bring out the best in them. And that you saw, and I'm not sure if you saw this 200. It threaded itself through the Charlotte Hornets because even Brandon Miller was like, it was fun to be in the mix. Next question. He appreciated what Detroit did. And I'd love to hear what you think about as you're going around and you're following Detroit. It seems like teams are picking up, like, this is just how Detroit plays. And there are some teams that appreciate that, and then there are some teams that are like, ooh, this is too much.

[Hunter Patterson]

That's a great point, too, that. That was something that Charles Lee, he brought up pre game. He mentioned they played on December 20. I want to say it was the first matchup between these two. The Hornets were blown out. Detroit was the better team from start to finish. And Charles mentioned post game that that was some. Or pregame, excuse me, was something that kind of got the wheels rolling on. On their run and let them know that, like, the physicality that the Pistons brought was something that they needed to start embodying throughout the rest of their season. And so he acknowledged that before the game even started. He gave the Pistons a ton of credit for just the brand of basketball that they play and their toughness, their physicality, all of the things that kind of unfortunately spilled over into the game tonight. But he, ahead of time, was really, I would say complimentary of just the Pistons play style. And he's. He's someone who I think is. Is trying to embody those things in. In his team here in Charlotte. And he, like you said, Was just really complimentary of everything.

[Dave DeFore]

This Con Knippel guy is ridiculous. I mean crazy. He's gonna set the rookie record for most made three pointers. He's at the point now where every time he launches one, I just think it's going in that team. I mean we've been having a lot of fun with them on this winning streak but they look like a serious team, like they're in the play in. I doubt they can make it out of the play in. I just don't know if they've got the time. But there's a really good chance that we wind up with Detroit and Charlotte in the first round. And, and you know we talk about the styles makes fights when you get to the playoffs. I don't know if Charlotte's going to be able to do anything with Detroit in a, you know, this might be a five game series in the playoffs, but you see what they did last night. I mean they're, they're not going to back down, they're not going to be punked by a team that's bigger than they are. I mean look, Jaylen Duran before he gets ejected was crushing them in the third quarter.

[Zena Keda]

He just way right.

[Dave DeFore]

So part of this, I think with, with Diabate, it was not just the physicality, it was also that Duran was just absolutely a monster that they had no answer for. And so you get Duran ejected, Isaiah Stewart gets ejected and then out of nowhere B ball Paul, Paul Reed comes in and just is like they don't miss a beat. This team is, is got incredible depth and togetherness. And again back to the point that J.B. bickerstaff being such an upgrade a coach, you know, when he came in last year, I think this year we're watching him, he's starting to really mold them into a championship contender.

[Hunter Patterson]

No, no, no doubt about it. I think this, this was something that I spoke to Paul post game and he was like this isn't the first time I've really done something like this. Which is very much the case.

[Dave DeFore]

His whole career has been like this.

[Hunter Patterson]

Absolutely. Going back to Philly, I think he's just someone who stays ready so he doesn't have to get ready. And then when he has his moment to play and perform for him like he did tonight, it's just kind of second nature for him because he's always at practice at shoot arounds with the stay ready group. He's practicing like he's going to be a starter every night and that's what leads him to having 12 points in 18 minutes. So I think and doing that while not seeing any minutes before those 18. So he was a vital piece of the win tonight. Obviously, Cade, as we mentioned beforehand, he actually post game, we were talking to him about the altercation and everything and he said he wanted to dedicate this game to his coach, high school coach from Bowie High School in Arlington, Alan Gratz. He passed away last night and he said that this was something that he wanted to do for him and he ended up having game highs in points and he, I believe game highs in points, rebounds and assists tonight as I'm looking at the stat sheet. So Cade played really well and he doesn't really need much motivation to do these things. But tonight I think is extra special for him.

[Zena Keda]

Wow, that's special. Thank you for sharing that with us. There's also one thing that I want to call out really for both teams, particularly for Detroit. Shout out to the value of veterans because I don't know if y' all noticed, but the person that pulled off Moussa initially was Tobias Harris.

[Dave DeFore]

Right?

[Zena Keda]

It was Tobias Harris. And then after, when everything started to simmer down and they were starting to make their decisions, the person that had that was holding court in the Charlotte Hornets huddle was Grant Williams. Miles Bridges was looking at him, Lamello was looking at him. They were all locked in on Grant Williams. And we've been talking about this win streak with Charlotte Hornets and how they've been able to do this with, you know, their top scorers all being under the age of 28. And they don't have these vet. They don't have necessarily the largest veterans. Veteran presence there. But you could see, I think this game got back on track because of the Tobias Harris. It got back on track because of Grant Williams. So there is some love to be shared as well for the veterans on these teams.

[Hunter Patterson]

Absolutely. Tobias hit a big shot with, I want to say, just a few seconds left. It was a two to four point game.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, the turnaround post.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, that's his bread and butter. He loves getting us back to the basket and shooting over smaller defenders. But that was something that he did on the floor to kind of go hand in hand with what you were talking about and him kind of disrupting the melee a bit.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, again, that fight is going to get a lot of attention. But that game was awesome. It was so much fun. It was electric. I mean, just up and down the first quarter is one of the best first quarters of basketball that I've seen all year. And it felt like neither team could really hit a shot. It was just really what you want out of a couple of young teams like this. So it was a lot of fun. I'm glad you were there, Hunter. Glad you were here hanging out with us. Everybody go and check out Hunter Patterson over at the Athletic. Check out his work. Great writer, good buddy.

[Hunter Patterson]

Appreciate y'. All.

[Dave DeFore]

Thank you, Hunter, for hanging out. Thanks to Xena keda. I'm Dave DeFore. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us.

[Zena Keda]

Thy ticket lady, Jennifer of Coolidge. Well, many thanks, good sir. Here is my Discover card. They accept Discover at Renaissance Fairs? Yeah, they do here. Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop. Getth with the times. With the times. You're playing the loot. Yeah. And it sounds pretty good, right?

[Dave DeFore]

Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen report.

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