The Charlotte Hornets entered the All-Star break a half-game behind first place Miami in the Southeast Division.
The Hornets will begin their second-half push for a division title and playoff berth with a home game against Detroit on Thursday.
Charlotte has fallen into a win-one, lose-one rutfor the past few weeks. The Hornets haven't won two straight since Feb. 7-8. They defeated Minnesota 135-102 on March 3 in their last outing before the break.
"It validates the first half of the season," coach James Borrego said. "It validates what we're doing, how well we're playing."
The Hornets finished last season with a 23-42 record.