Tayshaun Prince scored 21 points to lead Detroit, snapping a four-game winning streak. Greg Monroe nearly had another triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Rodney Stuckey also scored 18 points. The major factor in the Pistons’ loss was the turnover counts – Detroit turned it over 22 times, while Charlotte had just 11 turnovers.

Former Piston Ben Gordon scored 18 points in his return to the Palace, helping the Bobcats win just their second game in 21 attempts. Bismack Biyombo punished Detroit on the boards by grabbing 17 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

Considering the recent string of success the team had experienced as of late, the outcome of this game was surprising. In those 6 previous wins, the Pistons outrebounded and outhustled the other teams en route to winning. The bench play, especially former outcasts Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye, was sporadic outside of Stuckey’s scoring and Andre Drummond’s defensive work.

The Pistons will be able to practice the entire week before their next game, a matchup with Milwaukee on Friday night. That game tips off at 8:30 PM from the Bradley Center.

In this 10 games, they have compiled a five-game home winning streak with wins over Boston, Toronto, Portland, Phoenix and now Cleveland. While the wins over the Raptors, Trailblazers and Cavaliers were close, the Pistons throttled the Celtics (103-83) and the Suns (117-77). In fact, the 40-point win over the rebuilding Suns was the team’s largest in nearly five years.

A promising stat in most of those 10 games was the rebounding totals for the Pistons. Detroit big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond grabbed the most rebounds of either team in five of the games, with Monroe grabbing 15 rebounds in a loss to the Mavericks – his highest total since he snagged 18 against Philadelphia in Detroit’s first win of the season last month.

Second-year guard Brandon Knight is still working on becoming a true floor general, with fluctuating good and bad performances. In most of the last 10 games, he has found a way to contribute even if he isn’t having a great passing night, whether it be through rebounds or scoring. His assists total (5.6 in November) are slowly creeping up while his turnovers (3.6 in November) are fluctuating. He’ll continue to learn when to push the ball and when to pull back and initiate the offense; it’s easy to forget he’s only been in the league for a season.

If the Pistons can continue their solid defensive play and learn to limit offensive mistakes, this season may not be as lost as it appeared to be just a month ago.