Both teams are 3-1, but Detroit’s stronger scoring margin and Cade Cunningham’s playmaking give this matchup a clear pressure point.
Detroit and Charlotte both arrive at 3-1, but the Pistons rank seventh in the power index and carry a +24 point differential, compared with the Hornets at 11th and -28. Detroit is scoring 113 points per game while allowing 107; Charlotte averages 104 and gives up 111. Cade Cunningham has 83 points and 32 assists through four games, while Brandon Miller leads Charlotte with 97 points but has made 12 of 45 three-point attempts. With Detroit’s Jalen Duren out and Charlotte missing Coby White, Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams, Cunningham’s creation against the Hornets’ defense could decide whether Detroit’s stronger margins show up on the scoreboard.