The Charlotte Hornets will have a different lineup on Wednesday than the one they used to defeat Western Conference-leader Minnesota on Monday.
The Hornets agreed on Tuesday to deal high-scoring guard Terry Rozier to Miami for veteran point guard Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick. Charlotte will play its first game since the trade at Detroit on Wednesday.
Rozier scored just 11 points in the Hornets’ 128-125 victory over the host Timberwolves, but he’s averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists this season. The deal was motivated by a desire to clear cap and pick up a future asset. Lowry has an expiring contract.
Charlotte collected just its 10th win on Monday. The Hornets overcame Karl-Anthony Towns’ franchise-record 62 points and an 18-point deficit.
The Hornets outscored the Timberwolves 36-18 in the fourth quarter.
It was an unlikely rally, given that Towns alone racked up 44 first-half points.
The forward combo of Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges combined for 55 of Charlotte’s points and point guard LaMelo Ball dished out 13 assists with only one turnover.
One of the Pistons’ four wins this season came at Charlotte’s expense, as Alec Burks scored 24 points in a 111-99 triumph on Oct. 27.
The Pistons are coming off a pair of home losses to Milwaukee — a wild 141-135 shootout on Saturday and a 122-113 decision on Monday. Detroit had a lead early in the fourth quarter in the rematch but fell apart during crunch time.
Lottery pick Ausar Thompson scored 22 points in Saturday’s loss. Sasser, a late first-round selection, had a breakthrough game on Monday with 23 points.
Sasser hadn’t scored more than 11 points since Nov. 30.
Detroit has lost their first three games of a six-game homestand.
