Pistons at Charlotte Hornets 2-10-15

Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor (44) and Detroit Pistons forward Anthony Tolliver (43) vie for a rebound during the second half of the Pistons' 106-78 victory Tuesday.

(AP Photo)

CHARLOTTE -- When Anthony Tolliver first arrived with the Detroit Pistons, and they suddenly couldn't lose a game with him playing little or none, he joked about his "mojo" and "The Tolliver Effect."

A month after that initial seven-game winning streak, the Pistons still are on course for a playoff berth based on their upward arc since Tolliver was acquired in a Dec. 24 trade, but his contributions no longer are trivialized and his effect has been tangible.

Tolliver had 16 points and four rebounds off the bench in Tuesday's 106-78 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

It was his eighth double-figure scoring game with the Pistons, including his seventh in the last 13 games, during which he has a 10.0-point average.

After not getting much chance in Phoenix before the Pistons traded Tony Mitchell for him, Tolliver is enjoying a career resurgence with Detroit.

"I'm not really thinking about it too much," Tolliver said. "I'm just playing basketball. When I get an opportunity to play, if it's 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or whatever it may be, I'm going out there and playing basketball, and seeing what happens and helping the team win, whether it be scoring, or defense, or taking charges, or whatever it may be."

The Pistons were 5-23 without Tolliver and 16-9 with him.

"It's a huge deal," he said of the turnaround. "Obviously, it took a pretty extraordinary effort for us to get back into the (playoff) talks. After seven straight games winning, and (11 out of 13), that's hard to do in this league, no matter who you're playing. We had to make a big run and we still have some work to do. We're not there yet. We've got to take it one game at a time, and hopefully win some more games, and hopefully get to that spot."

PISTONS NOTES

Paying dues, still waiting: Charlotte assistant Patrick Ewing continues to toil on NBA benches without a serious look from anyone yet to become a head coach. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy had Ewing on his staff in Orlando and expressed befuddlement. "The only thing I've seen that makes any kind of sense is there's a lot of people who think that there's sort of a bias for guys that were guards, and against big guys," Van Gundy said. "It's unfortunate. And they've done a good job (ex-guards turned head coaches), Jason Kidd's done a good job, Steve Kerr's done a good job, Mark Jackson did a good job, so not taking anything away from those guys. But here's a guy who was in Washington, was in Houston, was in Orlando, has been here -- who's put in a lot of time and hard work -- and has really become a very, very good coach and is ready to run his own team. And what, because he's 7-feet, that works against him? I don't get that. But that's the only thing I've heard that makes any sense because he's a really good basketball coach."

Best seat in the house: Three Pistons starters, D.J. Augustin, Greg Monroe and Kyle Singler, sat the entire fourth quarter. The Pistons are thin at small forward with Caron Butler (back spasms) and Cartier Martin (sprained right ankle) out vs. Charlotte, so a rest for Singler was beneficial. But Augustin and Monroe are heavy-minutes players, so with the Spurs up tonight, Van Gundy was particularly happy to get them some rest. "D.J. and Greg -- we don't get many of those, where we can sit those guys down. So yeah, that was a positive," Van Gundy ssaid.

Road skid stopped: The Pistons ended a five-game road losing streak, which came on the heels of a franchise-record-tying seven-game road winning streak.

Another 10-day coming: John Lucas III will get a second 10-day contract, as expected, Van Gundy confirmed. Lucas was signed Feb. 2 so today is his last day under contract.

Orlando again for summer league: The Pistons will return to Orlando Pro Summer League this year, Van Gundy said. That move was not a surprise since the Pistons have become regulars there and Van Gundy retains a family home there. But the Pistons considered sending their young players to both the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues. Van Gundy said they have decided against the double.

The games within the game: The Pistons were 27 of 30 at the free-throw line, their most free throws made this season. Their reversal at the line has been a big part of their turnaround, 76.9 percent over the last 21 games, compared to 67.4 in the first 32 games. Augustin has made 36 in a row, including 7 of 7 against the Hornets. Jodie Meeks has made 19 in a row, including 10 of 10 against the Hornets. Augustin credited a free-throw game the Pistons regularly play in practice, with teammates rotating goal to goal and shooting against each other. "I think it's good competition against each other and it carries over," he said. That, plus Augustin and Meeks are historically outstanding free-throw shooters. Augustin is shooting 86.7 percent this season, with Meeks at 94.4 percent.

Six days off forthcoming: The Pistons go on All-Star break after tonight's 7:30 home game with the San Antonio Spurs. Teams that resume play on Thurs., Jan. 19, can practice next Tuesday. The Pistons don't resume play until Jan. 20 vs. Chicago, so after tonight, they will have six days off before returning to practice next Wednesday.

Pistons at Charlotte Hornets 2-10-15 22 Gallery: Pistons at Charlotte Hornets 2-10-15

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