CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2014 Jalen Duren\u2019s message to J.B. Bickerstaff was loud and clear as time wound down Friday.<\/p>\n
The All-Star walked from the end of the bench to near midcourt to flag down his coach and remind Bickerstaff that the Detroit Pistons had no interest in exchanging postgame pleasantries<\/a> with the Charlotte Hornets after their 118-100 blowout win. Duren\u2019s sentiment was understandable, thanks to the still-fresh memories of a February altercation with the Hornets that led to four suspensions and more than $1 million in salary forfeited<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Pistons dismantled the Hornets in the fourth quarter on Friday, limiting them to their lowest-scoring quarter of\u00a0 the season with 10 points. That final frame demonstrated why first-place Detroit is 16 games ahead of Charlotte in the Eastern Conference standings. The Pistons sprinted out to a 16-2 run as Cade Cunningham looked on from a stationary bike near the team bench, watching his teammates outclass their opponents.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to give credit to them. They did a phenomenal job tonight,\u201d Hornets veteran Grant Williams said during his postgame news conference. \u201cThey really just, in words, punked us.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s what Detroit has prided itself on this year. Cunningham said earlier this season this team\u2019s goal was to impose its will on opposing teams, and that\u2019s what they did in Friday\u2019s shellacking. Five Pistons scored in double figures, and the team finished with 62 paint points, 45 bench points, 27 second-chance points, 22 points off of 15 Hornets turnovers and 20 fast-break points.<\/p>\n Once the fourth quarter rolled around, Detroit had its way with Charlotte, highlighting the depth the Pistons will carry into the postseason. And rather than it being some sort of specified message after February\u2019s contentious contest, the Pistons were just playing their brand of basketball.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was us at our best,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cThat group that started the fourth quarter, I thought, did a great job. (Daniss Jenkins), Ron (Holland II), (Javonte Green), that group was all over the place. They were active. They picked up. They pressed. They set the tone. \u2026 (They) made it extremely difficult. And then, I thought we did a great job of finishing possessions.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Pistons basketball. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve come to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n Duren \u2014 who was suspended two games for his involvement in the altercation two months ago \u2014 picked the Hornets apart from start to finish. He finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, adding nine rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes despite foul trouble.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it shows how good we can be when we are locked in,\u201d Duren said postgame. \u201cWhenever we are playing as a team and playing connected, especially when we are on the defensive end, I feel like no one can beat us, nobody can score on us. This is just a testament to being locked in and having each other\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n Cunningham tacked on 14 points, seven assists, two offensive rebounds, a steal and a block. After the game \u2014 with Duren\u2019s choice of music playing in the background \u2014 Cunningham said the Pistons, now one victory away from their 60th win, came into the season wanting to improve on the previous season.<\/p>\n \u201cI went in just trying to be better than last year, not knowing where that would take us or what that would look like \u2014 to what extent it would go,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cI\u2019m pleased with where we\u2019re at; I\u2019m not really satisfied or anything. I think it\u2019s a great year so far. We\u2019re where we want to be, which is the playoffs. So, now the fun and all the real grind starts.\u201d<\/p>\n Cade Cunningham on whether the Pistons\u2019 success this season has exceeded expectations:<\/p>\n \u201cI went in just trying to be better than last year, not knowing where that would take us or what that would look like. \u2026 I\u2019m pleased with where we\u2019re at, but I\u2019m not really satisfied.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/2Y1m5AZjZU<\/a><\/p>\n