Rockets Hold Off Pistons, 126-124, Keep Winning Motor
For the second consecutive game, Clint Capela made his presence felt in another Rockets victory. Despite 37 points from Blake Griffin, Capela held his own against Detroit’s big men en route to his second straight excellent game, scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the process. Clint is really blossoming into an All-Star this season, and should get reasonable consideration come February as the Rockets big men have been among the league’s best. The Pistons hung around and just wouldn’t go away but the Rockets were able to outlast them in the process courtesy of Harden’s 43 points, Capela’s big night, and a strong overall team effort. James Ennis had another solid productive game with 14 points in 33 minutes. The new Rocket is starting to prove he can stay on the floor and out of foul trouble, a key factor to Houston’s depth and defense. Chris Paul’s midrange game was on-point per usual, and the Rockets were just too much for the Pistons to handle. Houston showed hustle and grit on Wednesday night that was lacking in the early part of the season. Isaiah Hartenstein is a joy to watch blossom into a hard-nosed, hustling big man who has the potential to develop a shooting stroke with dedication and practice. It’s not just “Hustlestein” diving on the hardwood, the entire group is finally hustling and running as one, and the results show in the squad’s current winning streak. Detroit is an up and coming team in an improving Eastern Conference, but this game showed they have miles to go to being considered on the same level as the Rockets. The Pistons won’t have to wait long for a chance to redeem Wednesday night’s loss. The two clubs meet for the final time this season in the second half of this home-and-home in Detroit on Friday night. The Pistons will be looking for revenge in front of their home crowd, but the Rockets don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon as they look to rev their winning streak up to six games in the Motor City on Friday night.