After pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in the franchise’s history three nights ago against the Sacramento Kings, The New Orleans Hornets found themselves on the wrong end of the tunnel as they coughed up a 10-point half time advantage to surrender
111-108 in overtime against the spirited Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons who had just managed to win twice in their last eleven encounters were set for another thrashing as they entered the match without guards Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and forward Austin Daye, who is recovering from a strained hamstring.
In the absence of the key player Tayshaun Prince stepped up to the occasion as he notched up his first double-double of the season with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Turning Point
The most important play of the night though was made by reserve Will Bynum. Filling in the shoes of Rodney Stuckey the 6 ft guard drove in a game turning lay-up with 7 seconds left in overtime to thrust the Pistons into the lead and Jason Maxiell pulled
off a last ditch dunk shot to seal the game.
First half
The Pistons coming into the match after suffering a 21-point loss to the lowly Los Angeles Clippers in their last encounter raced off to 6-0 advantage to start the match. The Hornets however sprung back into parity with a 7-point surge as the match generally
hung in balance during the first quarter.
With the game in a 20-20 deadlock entering the second quarter, the Hornets offence stepped up its pace. Having led the Pistons for most of the period, the extreme pressure finally paid its dividends as the Hornets reeled off an 8 point unanswered spurt to
head into the locker room with a 51-41 advantage.
Second half
Detroit blazed away early in the third quarter as they ripped in three straight 3-pointers to make it a single point game. Ben Gordon, who went 0 of 7 from the field in the first half, nailed two of them as the Pistons bounced back. The Detroit rally was
cut short though as the Hornets recovered to initiate a 9-2 run to snatch back a 60-52 advantage.
The Pistons kept slashing the New Orleans advantage the entire period but the Hornets seemed to have a response to every Piston move. The Hornets led by 9 eleven minutes into the third quarter, but Gordon ripped in another triple pointer two second from
the buzzer to pull back within six at 72-78.
The Pistons set the court ablaze in the fourth quarter as they sprinted to 10-3 run to not only shave off the deficit but a Gordon free throw, capping the spurt, surged them to a one-point lead. The Detroit offensive threw the game wide open as both teams
fought for dominance.
The Hornets led by 96-95 as the game entered the last minute of the regulation time. Chris Paul took advantage of a Jason Maxiell personal foul and slipped in two charity throws to create a three point barrier. Gordon missed a jumper soon after and Hornets
made another free throw to go ahead by four.
Bynum though made a layup to bring the Pistons back in the game and Ben Gordon ripped in a three pointer to tie the game at 100.
With 21.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Chris Paul patiently dribbled as the seconds ticked away. He then made the inevitable move with 8 seconds left in regulation time as he drove to the baseline and attempted a floater that Tayshaun Prince
blocked emphatically to force the matters in the overtime.
Overtime
The Pistons hit the pace in the overtime as they roped in five straight points to assert their dominance. The Hornets though initiated a vicious reply scoring as David West made two straight buckets to rally back.
Bynum, who was having an excellent night until that point, fell victim to the intensity of the situation. He missed a jumper that resulted in a Willie Green layup shot at the other end and then committed a crucial turnover to allow two free throws to the
Hornets. The Hornets responded in kind, converting both of them to nudge ahead by a single point at 108-107.
Bynum though made up for his blemishes as he made a driving layup seconds before the buzzer to hand the advantage back to the Pistons and they held on to 111-108 win.
Contributions
Bynum finished with 21 points and 9 assists for the match, by far his best performance of the season. He said about his match-turning performance after the game.
"It was heart," He said. "We want to win. We're not giving up (any) seconds out there on the court despite what the score says. Those are the kind of guys you want to live and die with - the guys that give it their all - and I thought that was the difference."
Ben Gordon had 25 points and 7 boards for the Pistons while Charlie Villanueva chipped in with 17 as the Pistons shot at an impressive 53 percent.
Forward David West led the Hornets with 32 points and 9 rebounds while Chris Paul added 23 with 10 assist to grab a double-double.
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