Rockets Host Pistons in Year’s Most Anticipated Matchup
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On Wednesday night, the spotlight is on Houston in the basketball world. For the first and only time this season, the Rockets play on national television tonight, as ESPN is airing this affair. Why? The top two picks from this year’s draft square-off for the first time. Jalen Green and the Rockets host the number one overall pick Cade Cunningham, and the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Cunningham missed Detroit’s first four games due to injury, and has only played in four of the Pistons’ nine games overall. His shooting has been historically bad to start a career, but Cunningham has shown improvement in his last two games, combining to score 35 points. Jalen Green’s also been struggling to shoot the ball efficiently. Tonight’s contest is the most anticipated matchup for both of these young squads all season long in terms of media coverage. We’ll see who revels in the bright lights with the spotlight shining on Toyota Center tonight.
This game is being billed as the first matchup between #1 and #2 picks. And that advertisement isn’t wrong, but tonight’s contest is so much more than a meeting between top prospects. The Pistons had the chance to select Green, and they’ll always be the only team who thought he wasn’t “good enough.” Time will tell if Cunningham proves to be a better player, but in my opinion, and many others, Jalen Green has a higher ceiling. Detroit is also the same squad who opined that Christian Wood wasn’t good enough. Houston picked him up in free agency, and the rest is history. Sure, Wood’s struggled in recent games, but Christian is a double-double machine who was on par for last year’s Most-Improved Award before suffering a season-ending injury. And interestingly enough, Wood missed both games against Detroit last year, and hasn’t faced his former team since they ditched him. All the eyes might be on the rookies tonight, but don’t be surprised if Christian Wood steals the show with a monster performance. Wood apparently wasn’t “good enough” for the Pistons either. Tonight, Wood finally has the chance to show them up and close, they made a very poor decision.
Besides being a battle of top draft picks, tonight’s also a battle of one-win teams. A matchup of the league’s two worst teams record-wise, besides the New Orleans Pelicans, who are off to an embarrassing 1-10 start for that franchise. Records only spell so much ten games into an 82-game season. Houston’s schedule has been much tougher than Detroit’s so far. The Rockets have had two days to rest, and are playing at home for the first time in nearly two weeks. The Pistons have some talented youngsters: Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, among others, but the Rockets have the more talented team overall. And Houston needs to take advantage with the spotlight on H-Town tonight. After being battle-tested, the Rockets should handle these Pistons easily. But in the NBA anything can happen, especially with two young teams. Expect an exciting game tonight at Toyota Center… one which the Rockets happen to be rare favorites.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Detroit Pistons (1-8): Blue
Houston Rockets (1-9): Red
TV: 6:30 PM – ESPN, AT&T Sportsnet SW