In a matchup of the top two picks from the first round of the 2021 NBA draft, Houston’s Jalen Green scored a team-high 23 points and clearly held his own versus Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (20 points). Most of the Rockets, however, did not meet the rookie’s high standard.
Led by Jerami Grant’s 35 points, the Pistons (2-9) walked into Toyota Center as underdogs and handed the host Rockets (1-10) a ninth straight loss. In Wednesday’s 112-104 defeat (box score), Houston made just 22-of-34 free throws (64.7%), and those 12 misses were pivotal in a game that was within a point after Eric Gordon’s 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining.
“We need to learn how to close the deal, and we didn’t do that tonight,” head coach Stephen Silas said in a frustrated postgame interview. Only New Orleans (1-11) currently has a worse record than Silas’ Rockets.
See below for highlights and player analysis. Grades are limited to players who played at least 15 minutes, thus excluding David Nwaba, KJ Martin, and Josh Christopher. Houston continues its three-game homestand with Friday’s game versus Portland, which marks the debut of their new City uniforms. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.
