The NBA preseason is underway and even though the games won't count towards the season ahead, players are still showing their stuff. That was certainly the case as the Charlotte Hornets visited the Detroit Pistons for a game on Wednesday night. Charlotte was down as much as 18 points at the half, before storming back in the second. Here's the latest Hornets vs. Pistons recap including top players, game stats, and what's next for the two teams.

Game recap

In tonight's game, the Detroit Pistons jumped out to a 32-27 lead after the first quarter and had a huge 63-45 lead at halftime.

However, the Charlotte Hornets surged in the third quarter, outscoring Detroit 35-16. In the fourth, Charlotte outpaced Detroit 28-27 and held on for a two-point comeback victory.

Leading the way for the Hornets were two players off the bench. Jeremy Lamb got 27 minutes of game time and scored 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting while also dishing out four assists. Rookie Malik Monk also contributed in a huge way. The Hornets' top draft pick this past summer shot 5-for-14 overall, but nailed four 3-point shots en route to 19 points. Among the starters, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marvin Williams each finished with 10 points, while Dwight Howard had 12 points and 11 boards. Howard also had the coast-to-coast highlight play seen below.

On the losing side, the Detroit Pistons were led by Andre Drummond. The All-Star big man had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the game. The newest member of the Pistons, Avery Bradley, had 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Ish Smith had 10 points and seven assists.

Rookie Luke Kennard and Henry Ellenson each scored 10 points for the Pistons' bench.

For tonight's game, the Pistons shot at a rate of 47 percent overall and 29.4 percent from long range. The team also had 19 turnovers compared to just 14 for the visitors. The Hornets shot at a rate of 43 percent for the game, with 28.9 percent of their threes knocked down.

Detroit outrebounded Charlotte 47-41 but also took seven less free throws in the game.

What's up next?

The Charlotte Hornets are now 1-1 for their preseason with a 1-1 away record. The team is looking forward to the season ahead with several new players, including big man Dwight Howard and rookie Malik Monk. Both showed a bit of what they are capable of in tonight's victory. Next up for the team is an away game against the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, October 9th.

The Detroit Pistons (0-1) are hoping they can somehow return to the postseason with their core coming back from last season. They added former Celtics' player Avery Bradley, rookie Luke Kennard, and NBA journeyman Ish Smith. Next up on their exhibition games slate will be a home game against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday night.
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