Rockets Run Out of Gas, Lose 115-107 to Pistons
Schedule Loss? Empty Tank. Respect the Grind.
Blame the schedule gods if you want. The third game in four nights proved to be too much for Houston, as the Rockets fell to the Pistons, 115-107, on Saturday. Give them all the excuses you want: Russell Westbrook didn’t play. It was the second of a back-to-back, and third game in four nights, therefore it can be deemed a “schedule loss.” But the Rockets still had the best player on the planet, James Harden, and plenty of capable bodies. It was evident from the start the squad was gassed due to the schedule. Nonetheless, this is still a bad loss for Houston. The Rockets led after the first, and despite fatigue, their roster depth brought more than enough promise for a victory. Especially with Detroit’s monster announced as a late scratch.
Detroit’s best player and the league’s top rebounder, Andre Drummond, didn’t play, due to eye inflammation. Blake Griffin, the Pistons other All-Star, scored a mere 2 points in only 15 minutes. Yet, the Rockets allowed Detroit to score 115 points at Toyota Center. Seven players for the Pistons hit double-figures in scoring. Luke Kennard started hot, and led Detroit in scoring with 22 points. Derrick Rose closed the game for the Pistons. The former-MVP turned NBA-journeyman had a brilliant fourth quarter. Rose finished with 20, and out-dueled Harden and the Rockets in the final moments, when the game was still reasonably in reach for Houston. The Beard had 39 points to lead the Rockets, but looked exhausted near the end of the game. Hands on his knees, Harden was gasping for breath by the end of this one. It’s understandable. Houston’s superstar scored a combined 109 points in the previous two games, and still managed 39 on Saturday night. But with no Westbrook, Harden’s usage rate hit the max near the end of the contest. Sheer exhaustion, combined with no Westbrook in the clutch, doomed the Rockets on Saturday. Rookie Chris Clemons scored 17 points in only 16 minutes, and fueled a late comeback that fell short against Rose and the Pistons. Give Houston an excuse for having an empty tank. I’m not. The Rockets should have beaten a Detroit team dented with its own injury problems. Even without Drummond, and a barely coherent Blake Griffin, this was still ugly defensively for Houston. Hopefully, the Rockets tighten up on the defensive end in the future. But that always seems to be a hope.
It’s time for Houston to move on from Saturday’s setback, and prove they’re ready for what lies ahead. If the Rockets want to catch the Lakers for the first seed out West, Houston has no margin for error. The losing to bad teams (especially at home), needs to end. Houston has too much depth on their roster to lose to teams like Drummondless Detroit. No excuses. All NBA teams suffer injuries, play back-to-backs, and deal with scheduling crises. Luckily for the Rockets, teams don’t play on back-to-back nights in the playoffs. However, the grind of facing elite playoff competition is tougher than any regular season schedule setbacks. As many believe, back-to-backs are somewhat unfair, especially if one team rested, and the other played the night before. Nonetheless, it is what it is. For now, consecutive games aren’t going away. The playoffs aren’t going away either, as their image begins to be take shape in the far distance. But they aren’t fair either. And, this season, if the playoffs prove to be too much for Houston… the Rockets won’t have anyone to blame but themselves.