The Pistons face off against one of the best teams in the West in a matinee showdown.
Everybody loves a matchup between the number one and number two picks from the same draft class, but as you move further from the year of that draft, the individual matchup doesn’t mean as much as it did.
When both of these teams were not any good, I think the Jalen Green-Cade Cunningham matchup meant more to both fanbases since there wasn’t much else to root for. Now that Houston is 2nd in the Western Conference and the Pistons are in the playoff race in the East, the Cade Cunningham-Jalen Green showdown isn’t the must-see TV like it once was, it is just a matchup between two good players looking to win a game.
For the Rockets, this is a game against an inferior team with the opportunity to inch closer to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West, for the Pistons, it is a chance to get back on track after losing their last two games.
Game Vitals
Where: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
When: Monday, Jan. 20 at 2 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Houston (-8.5)
Analysis
The Rockets are one of the best defensive teams in the league, and that is a huge problem for the turnover-prone Pistons. The Pistons have been better about turning the ball over during their hot stretch to close out 2024 and into 2025, but in their last two games against the Pacers and Suns, the turnover bug has struck back and the Pistons lost both matchups.
It is the case for pretty much any team, but especially so for a team like the Pistons, but it is difficult to win many games when you turn over the ball a lot.
If they want any hope at winning this game, they will have to get the turnovers in check, but they will also have to figure out how to slow down Jalen Green, who is in the midst of one of his best stretches of basketball of his career. Green has had plenty of stretches during his career where he would have a few games where his shots are falling and he looks like the best player from his class, but he would revert to being inefficient for even longer. After a cold start to the season, he appears to finally be putting together the scoring potential that made him the Number 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Another player for the Rockets putting together a breakout stretch of games is Amen Thompson. It could be argued that he is the Rockets’ best player with his ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor, but he also doesn’t have to take on as much of an offensive load as somebody like Green or Alperen Sengun.
The last time these two teams faced off it was a low-scoring offensive struggle with a final score of 101-99. At this point in the season, both teams are better offensively, so I would anticipate a bit of a higher scoring game than that, unless the Rockets are able to keep the Pistons’ current turnover struggles going.
This should be a fun game between two up-and-coming young teams. The Rockets are the better team on the surface, but the Pistons have been just as good in January with a 7-3 record compared to the 7-2 record for the Rockets.
The current Pistons are similar to the Rockets last season where they have a team of young players with solid vets playing competitive games every night and fighting for a playoff spot. Hopefully, the Pistons are able to make the leap like the Rockets have next season.
Lineups
Detroit Pistons (21-21): Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Houston Rockets (28-13): Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun
Question of the Day
What has been your biggest takeaway from the first half of the season?