DETROIT _ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond missed key free throws Monday night, as the Detroit Pistons dropped their fourth straight _ a 99-96 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Palace.
James Harden led the Rockets (9-5) with 28 points (6-for-17 shooting) and 11 assists and Clint Capela added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pistons (6-9), who have also lost seven of nine, trailed most of the second half but had two chances to tie late.
Caldwell-Pope's key miss came with 9 seconds after he was fouled going to the basket and the Pistons trailing, 97-95.
But he missed the second, leaving the score at 97-96.
Harden was fouled with 5.9 seconds left, making the first and missing the second, giving the Rockets a 98-96 lead.
But Drummond was fouled instantly by Capela on the rebound with 4.6 seconds left.
Drummond missed the first short, then missed the second on purpose, but the Pistons were unable to secure the offensive rebound.
Caldwell-Pope led the Pistons with 26 points, and Drummond added 13 points and 16 rebounds.
The Pistons were outrebounded once again, 46-39.
Pistons jumped to a 20-8 lead by forcing four early Rockets turnovers.
Caldwell-Pope's corner triple at the 5:51 mark of the first quarter forced a Rockets timeout.
The Rockets quickly caught up, but the Pistons were able to forge a 25-18 lead after the first quarter.
But the Sam Dekker's eight points in the second quarter allowed the Rockets to take a 51-46 lead at halftime.
With Tobias Harris (three fouls) and Marcus Morris (two fouls) on the bench for most of the last 3:34 of the second quarter, the Pistons were held scoreless.
The Rockets extended their lead to 12 in the third quarter, but the Pistons received a boost from two sources.
Caldwell-Pope scored 14 points in the quarter, and Morris' 33-footer at the quarter horn cut the deficit to 79-75 going into the fourth quarter
The Rockets game was a continuation of a rough stretch of games against top competition for Detroit.
But with Reggie Jackson (left knee rehab) nearing a return to the starting lineup, Van Gundy said before the game don't expect a sudden move because the team is struggling.
"The last thing you want to do is panic because you're in a tough stretch," Van Gundy said.
