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Pistons welcome Hornets to The Palace

Feb 4, 2012 - 4:10 PM (Sports Network) - A pair of also-rans get together tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons will host the New Orleans Hornets.

The Hornets have lost four in a row and 13 of their last 14 games, including Thursday's 93-81 setback in San Antonio. Carl Landry netted 17 points and Greivis Vasquez added 16 for the Hornets, losers of five straight on the road and owners of a 2-8 record away from the Big Easy.

"The guys we were counting on to step up tonight just didn't have it," Hornets head coach Monty Williams said.

Marco Belinelli had 11 points off the bench in a losing cause. New Orleans, which is last in the Southwest Division, played well in defeat and shot 44.6 percent from the field. Jarrett Jack missed the game with a balky knee and should be back in the lineup tonight. He has scored in double figures in 11 straight contests and is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 assists this season.

After visiting the Pistons, New Orleans will return home for a four-game residency versus the Kings, Bulls, Blazers and Jazz.

Detroit is last in the Central Division and was able to snap a seven-game losing streak with Friday's 88-80 victory versus Milwaukee.

Rookie Brandon Knight had a career-high 26 points, while Greg Monroe added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who were coming off an 0-4 road trip and got 13 points and nine rebounds from Tayshaun Prince. Jason Maxiell pulled down 12 boards in a winning effort.

"We played for a full 48 minutes tonight," said Monroe. "Everybody that was in the game played hard. Everybody played with energy."

The Pistons improved to 4-8 at home this season and haven't won back-to-back games since Dec. 31-Jan. 2.

Prior to the game, the Pistons announced that forward Charlie Villanueva will miss at least a few weeks due to continued soreness and discomfort in his right ankle. After visiting with multiple foot and ankle orthopedic surgeons, Villanueva was diagnosed with a resolving posterior tibial tenosynovitis with small talotibal spurs. It was recommended that the ankle be partially immobilized. He will be re-evaluated in a few weeks.

After hosting the Hornets tonight, Detroit will visit New Jersey before returning home for a three-game residency versus the Nets, Wizards and Spurs.

The Pistons and Hornets split a home-and-home series a year ago, with each team holding serve as the host. New Orleans has won four of the past six meetings between the teams, but has lost six of eight visits to The Palace.