Despite entering Monday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons on a three-game skid, hopes were high for the Charlotte Hornets, as point guard Coby White was set to make his season debut after recovering from a calf strain. While the Hornets remained competitive in the first half, things got out of hand quickly in the final 24 minutes.

In between the third and the fourth quarter, the Pistons went on a massive 27-4 run, which effectively ended the Hornets chances of improving to 4-4 on the year. Turnovers were the issue once more, as Charlotte gave the ball away 27 times as opposed to Detroit, who had 15 turnovers. With eight minutes to go in the final frame, head coach Charles Lee had seen enough, emptying the bench and bringing on Liam McNeeley and rookies Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr.

The contest ended 124-91. For the visitors, Cade Cunningham performed as advertised, finishing with 33 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. Duncan Robinson was exceptional from beyond the arc, finishing with 24 points on 6-for-9 shooting from deep. As for the Hornets, Brandon Miller led the team in scoring again, ending his night with 17 points on 7-for-18 shooting, including 3-for-11 from beyond the arc. In his first game of the 2026-27 campaign, White scored seven points in 16 minutes.

Looking ahead, the Hornets will face the Brooklyn Nets on the road Wednesday.