(Recap from The Sports Network)
Charlotte, NC – D.J. Augustin scored 27 points and Stephen Jackson added 23, as the Bobcats earned a 105-100 win over the Detroit Pistons in interim head coach Paul Silas’ first game back with Charlotte.
Tyrus Thomas chipped in with 14 points off the bench, while Nazr Mohammed contributed 10 for Charlotte, which snapped a four-game slide and won for only the second time in its last eight overall.
The 67-year-old Silas took over for Larry Brown, who resigned from his post on Wednesday after the Bobcats got off to a 9-19 start this season.
Silas returned to the NBA coaching ranks for the first time since he was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers near the end of the 2004-05 season.
Prior to the contest, Silas held a 355-400 record in the NBA and ranks as the all-time winningest coach in Hornets history, spending four-plus years with the team and leading it to the playoffs in each of his four full seasons. The Hornets moved from Charlotte to New Orleans during his tenure.
Charlie Villanueva finished with a team-high 25 points for the Pistons, who have dropped two straight and are now a woeful 3-13 on the road this season. Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon each netted 17 points in defeat.
In the fourth and Charlotte ahead a seemingly comfortable 16-point advantage at 87-71, Gordon hit a three-pointer to spark a 13-3 Pistons’ run. Chris Wilcox capped it with a free throw to get Detroit within 90-84 with 5:54 to play.
The Bobcats built their lead up to 101-90 with 2:45 to play, but Detroit came back to score the next 10 points and make it a one-point game with 1:01 to play.
Thomas’ putback on the Charlotte’s ensuing possession made it a three-point game and it stayed that way after each side came up empty on subsequent trips.
Out of a Detroit time out, Gordon missed from beyond the arc with 11.8 seconds left and Thomas, who grabbed the board, was fouled, then missed both at the line.
Again, the Pistons called a time out and like the last possession, Gordon was off the mark from three-point distance with 2.8 ticks remaining. Thomas’ two makes at the line sealed the 105-100 win.
Villanueva’s three-pointer beat the first-quarter buzzer to pull Detroit even at 26-all after the opening 12 minutes.
However, the Bobcats exploded with a 24-2 run to start the second. DeSagana Diop finished off a string of 13 straight points with a jumper that gave Charlotte a 39-26 lead with 7:42 left before halftime.
Tracy McGrady’s layup snapped the burst, but the hosts answered by scoring the next 11 to grab a 50-28 advantage with 4:09 remaining. They settled for a 56-40 lead at the break.
Mohammed put Charlotte up by 20, 76-56, near the midway point of the third and it maintained a double-digit lead throughout the quarter. Augustin’s make in the closing seconds gave the Bobcats an 85-69 edge after three.
Charlotte all-star forward Gerald Wallace missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle…The Bobcats, who improved to 7-7 at home, shot 52.6 percent from the field and made 10-of-17 from three-point distance…Detroit made 43.7 percent of its shots and hit 11-of-19 from beyond the arc…Despite the loss, the Pistons are still 14-6 in their last 20 meetings with the Bobcats.