Scheduled
Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards
2026-27 · Regular season · Emirates NBA Cup
Charles Lee benches Naz Reid for the second half in Detroit because he ‘didn’t meet our standards,’ and the Hornets’ 7-point lead slips away
Naz Reid sat the entire second half of Charlotte's 97-89 loss at Detroit after Charles Lee said he did not meet the team's standards. The Hornets led 51-44 at halftime, and Kon Knueppel practiced in Greensboro on Thursday.
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Naz Reid started for the Charlotte Hornets in Detroit on Wednesday, played 13 minutes, and then watched the entire second half from the bench. Charles Lee said it was his call, and he made it at halftime. “Unfortunately, Naz didn’t meet our standards in the first half, and at halftime we made a decision that he wouldn’t play in the second half,” Lee said after the 97-89 loss to the Pistons. “But I look forward to him meeting those standards come next game.”
Lee did not say what Reid had done, and he was not asked to explain further. Reid, who was available to play, finished with 7 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 6 rebounds and a block, all before halftime. Charlotte led 51-44 at the break and lost by eight, dropping to 3-2.
A starter, not a fringe player
It was a striking decision because of who Reid is. Charlotte brought him in from Minnesota in the offseason trade that sent LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves, and he is in the second year of a five-year, $125 million contract. He had been one of the team’s most productive players in the first four games, averaging 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, with 23 points and five threes in the win over Miami and 18 points and 12 rebounds against Washington on Monday.
Before the game, Lee had described Reid as a calming presence for a young roster. He recalled a recent 100-100 game in which Charlotte had let a lead slip. “I’m doing my coachy thing, whatever that is,” Lee said. “After I’m done, he’s just like, ‘Hey guys, relax. It’s 100-100. 0-0 now. It’s all good.’” Lee added that Reid had been “fully committed to everything we’re doing on both sides of the floor.”
Reid’s last stretch on the floor came late in the second quarter. He checked in with 5:55 left and the Hornets ahead 40-28, their largest lead of the night. Detroit answered with a 9-2 run, and when Daniss Jenkins scored on a driving layup with 3:19 left to make it 42-37, Lee called a full timeout and sent Brandon Miller back in for Reid. Reid did not play again. Roderick Boone, who covers the team, reported on Thursday that Reid and Lee cleared the air after the game and are moving on before Friday’s rematch with Washington.
How the lead got away
Charlotte did not miss Reid right away. Royce O’Neale’s three and a Miller jumper made it 56-48 with 8:53 left in the third quarter. Then the Pistons scored 16 of the next 18 points, with threes from Paul Reed, Javonte Green, Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson, to go ahead 64-58. Detroit won the quarter 32-19 and never trailed again. The Hornets committed nine of their 25 turnovers in the third quarter, and the Pistons scored 21 points off Charlotte giveaways.
With Reid out, Moussa Diabate played 35 minutes at center and had 9 points and 9 rebounds, while Ryan Kalkbrenner played 13 minutes and Tidjane Salaun 12. Hannes Steinbach did not play.
Lee credited the Pistons’ pressure for the turn. “I think that they ratcheted up their defensive pressure a little bit, their physicality, and unfortunately had too many costly turnovers or slow possessions,” he said. “Offensively, I thought that we just made one too many mistakes and they punished us for them.” He still liked the defense. “To hold a good team like that to 97 points on the road shows the competitive spirit, the defensive intensity that we had,” he said, adding that Cunningham had to work for his 30 points.
Miller scored 31 with 12 rebounds, his third straight 30-point game, a first in his career. He had 21 points in the first half but shot 2-of-7 in the fourth quarter. “Obviously my teammates trust me, they fight for me every night,” Miller said. “I think we have to come even closer together and just get the stops that we need to win a basketball game.”
Kon Knueppel takes a step
There was better news on Thursday. The Hornets assigned Kon Knueppel to their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, for that day’s practice, a step in his recovery from a left hamstring strain that has kept him out of all five games this season. Knueppel, the No. 4 pick in 2025, started 80 games as a rookie and made 273 threes. The team did not give a return date, and Coby White (left calf) and Grant Williams (hamstring) were also out in Detroit.
What’s next
Charlotte plays at Washington on Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m. ET (1 a.m. Saturday Cairo time) in NBA Cup group play, four days after beating the Wizards 110-103 at home, as covered in our recap of that game. The Hornets then host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET (midnight Saturday into Sunday, Cairo time). Lee’s answer on Reid set the test plainly: whether Reid meets those standards will be clear from how much he plays on Friday.
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