Rockets Roll into the Motor City, Face-Off Against Pistons
Twin Night – Part 2. Baiting Duren. Muster Win.
For the third stop on this lengthy road-trip, the Rockets ride into Detroit as they face the Pistons on Friday night. Houston is coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday. After snapping their NBA-record 28-game losing-streak, the Pistons have lost their last six games, and own a league-worst 3-35 record. Tonight is also Twin Night – Part Two, as the Thompson rookies will battle each other for only the second time as NBA players. Houston’s Amen got the victory and outplayed his brother, Detroit’s Ausar, in the first contest, back at Toyota Center on New Year’s Day.
The Rockets will aim to repeat the first result between these teams as they play the Pistons for the second and final time this season. And they should have a solid chance to earn the victory tonight. Detroit is clearly the worst team, but that doesn’t mean this game will be cakewalk for Houston. If you remember in the first matchup, the Pistons’ Jalen Duren did as great a job at anyone we’ve seen on Alperen Sengun in the first half defensively. It wasn’t until Sengun got Duren in foul trouble that the Rockets were able to separate themselves for a blowout victory. Keep an eye on the Sengun-Duren matchup tonight. It’s not a good matchup for “The Wizard,” as Duren is one of the physically strongest players in the league and isn’t baited by Sengun’s offensive tricks. Hopefully Sengun can get Duren in foul trouble once again, as he’s proved to give Houston trouble since he entered the league last season. Sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic is out tonight for Detroit. Defensively, the Rockets need to focus on Alec Burks, who will benefit from his teammates absence with more minutes, and the rising youngster Jaden Ivey on the perimeter, who’s having a solid sophomore year after an injury-riddled opening campaign.
At 18-18, the Rockets are now evenly .500 on the season. Exceeding the expectations of the NBA world, but Houston knows they’re better than a merely average team. Ime Udoka won’t let his team settle for being “average.” The Rockets have already gotten through the toughest portion of their schedule, and they won’t see a road-trip of this length for the rest of the season. After tonight, Houston will travel to face Udoka’s former team, the Boston Celtics, tomorrow night. It will be an incredibly tough matchup for this Rockets squad who struggles playing on the second half of a back-to-back. After that, the road trip closes with visits to Philly and New York for game against the Sixers and Knicks, two of the East’s hottest teams.
What does all this mean? Tonight’s game in Detroit is by far the easiest remaining on this lengthy road-trip for Houston. If the Rockets want to avoid potentially going winless on this trip, they need to treat this game against the Pistons as a must-win matchup. Detroit has only won twice all season in 18 home contests. Houston needs to focus on putting Duren in foul trouble, and they need to avoid another slow start. Expect another close game on the road tonight, as has been the case for the Rockets in most of their away matches this season. The squad is still without Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. And they’ve struggled without the energetic pair. Regardless, tonight in Detroit, Houston should have enough in the tank to muster their fourth road win on the season.
Little Caesars Arena: Detroit, Michigan
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (18-18): White
Detroit Pistons (3-35): Black
Tip-Off: 6:30 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass