Pistons 98 - 116 Hornets
Final
  for this game

Jefferson leads Charlotte past Detroit

Feb 20, 2014 - 5:06 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Al Jefferson scored a game-high 29 points and also pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 116-98 win over the Detroit Pistons, to complete the sweep of a home-and-home set.

Kemba Walker added 24 points and handed out a career-high 16 assists, Josh McRoberts scored 15 points to go with five rebounds and five assists and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Gerald Henderson finished with 11 points apiece for the Bobcats, who moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the Pistons for the eight spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We're in a great position right now to make playoffs and we want to make it. There's only one way to get there and that's with focus and working hard and getting wins," Walker said.

Brandon Jennings scored 20 points, Rodney Stuckey scored 15 and Josh Smith and Will Bynum chipped in with 14 points apiece for the Pistons, losers in three straight.

Greg Monroe had 13 points and seven rebounds and Andre Drummond, who tied a career-high with 21 rebounds on Tuesday, was limited to just eight points and six boards in the setback.

"This (loss) was frustrating, but it's not anything that's affecting the way we're playing," Monroe said.

The Bobcats led 16-7 5 1/2 minutes into the first quarter and pushed its spread to double digits, 22-12, following a Cody Zeller jumper.

Jennings knocked down a 3-pointer moments later to make it a seven-point game and Charlotte owned a 28-21 lead after 12 minutes.

The Bobcats led 38-29 after McRoberts knocked down a jumper at the eight- minute mark of the second, but a 9-1 run had Detroit within a point with just over six minutes to go.

Charlotte used an 11-3 run, capped with Jefferson's three-point play, to take a 50-41 lead and led 53-47 at the break.

Charlotte led by 19, 77-58, following a Walker layup with 3:32 remaining the third, but Detroit got within 14 after Bynum split a pair of free throws later in the frame.

The Pistons shaved their deficit to nine points, 89-80, after Stuckey knocked down a 3-pointer two-minutes into the fourth, but the Bobcats used a 21-8 run to make it 110-88 with 3:05 to go. Charlotte shot 54.5 percent over that stretch and was 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

The Bobcats' lead never dipped below 18 the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Charlotte shot 51.2 percent from the field ... Jefferson was 12-for-20 from the field ... Charlotte outrebounded Detroit 49-31 ... Detroit outscored the Bobcats 48-38.






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