With three starts due to injury, the Rockets used a balanced effort with seven scorers in double figures to keep the Detroit Pistons away Friday night, 103-102 (box score). The win broke a three-game streak for Houston (5-9), while Detroit (3-12) lost third straight.
Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 20 points, while PJ Tucker (15), Sterling Brown (14), Jae’Sean Tate (13), Victor Oladipo (13), David Nwaba (13), and Ben McLemore (10) all did. Valuable contributions for Houston squad shorthand for three regular starts. Since missing two straight games with a tight left leg, Gordon has scored 20 or more points in his three rounds since returning from injury.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, John Wall (left knee injury), Christian Wood (right ankle sprain), and Danuel House Jr. are expected. (self-loathing) all miss Saturday’s game in Dallas, too. For Wall and Wood, Tuesday is their estimated date. But as head coach Stephen Silas said as a pregame, they’ll be worried “tomorrow, tomorrow.” For a team that went in after losing five or six, any win was important.
DeMarcus Cousins, who replaced Wood, struggled to score with just 5 points on a 2-of-16 shooting (12.5%). However, he led the Rockets in other areas with 15 rebounds and 7 assists.
The Pistons led an offseason signing Jerami Grant, who had 21 points and 8 rebounds. However, Tucker’s defense helped limit Grant to a 4-of-15 shooting (26.7%) for a game. A deceptive Grant from Tucker pulled the final possession of the game with Detroit down a point, but a replay showed it came after the kite – which defeated Houston.
The Pistons had 37 free-throw attempts to Houston 20, which allowed them to stay competitive. Detroit also shot 15-of-32 on 3-pointers (46.9%), compared to 14-of-41 (34.1%) for the Rockets.
See below for Friday’s events and postgame response. Houston returns to action Saturday with an 8:00 pm tipoff in Dallas.
Stephen Silas
Eric Gordon
PJ Tucker
Jae’Sean Tate
Sterling Brown