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Bobcats begin Silas era vs. Pistons

Dec 27, 2010 - 4:17 PM (Sports Network) - The Charlotte Bobcats hope to stop a four-game slide when they kick off the Paul Silas era tonight in the continuation of a five-game homestand versus the Detroit Pistons.

The Bobcats opened the residency with a 99-81 loss to Oklahoma City, as Kevin Durant led all scorers with 32 points.

Stephen Jackson had a team-best 20 points for Charlotte, which has dropped four in a row and six of seven games. Boris Diaw ended with 13 points, eight assists and seven boards in defeat.

The Bobcats are 6-7 at home this season and will also welcome Cleveland, Golden State and Miami to Time Warner Cable Arena. Head coach Larry Brown resigned from the post last week and Silas was named Brown's successor on an interim basis.

"The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations, and we both agreed that a change was necessary," Bobcats chairman and chief executive Michael Jordan said.

Silas hasn't coached since he was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers near the end of the 2004-05 season.

Detroit had a modest two-game winning streak come to an end with Sunday's 95-92 overtime loss versus the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Tayshaun Prince had 17 points, Rodney Stuckey finished with 16 and both Tracy McGrady and Richard Hamilton each had 15 points for the Pistons, who got 12 points and 10 rebounds from Charlie Villanueva and lost for the sixth time in nine tries. Chicago had a 55-39 advantage on the boards.

"They manhandled us in the post area," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "They had 13 offensive rebounds in the first half, and we just can't allow that to happen."

The Pistons are just 3-12 as the visitor this season and defeated Charlotte, 97-90, back on Nov. 5 this season. Detroit is 14-5 in the last 19 meetings with the Bobcats, losers in six of the past nine encounters as the host in this series.