Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets 2019-20 season preview

Predicting the series

Game 1: Dec. 14, 9 p.m. at Toyota Center
Game 2: March 29, 5 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena

There are worse matchup for the Pistons out there. There are also better ones. Both Houston and Detroit have a pair of MVPs on their rosters entering training camp, Detroit’s is a little less obvious with Joe Johnson winning the Big3 MVP.

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It’s a good matchup because of the depth added in free agency with the Pistons signing Rose and Markieff Morris. That should allow them to match up better when Griffin and Drummond need a blow, or if Detroit needs to go with a smaller lineup.

The ball won’t stop offensively either. In one of last season’s meetings, Ish Smith was the key to sticking with the Rockets and Rose will be able to do that.

But the meetings come at inopportune times. The first is the conclusion of a three-game “road” trip with the home game in Mexico two days prior. The latter is in the middle of the March gauntlet.

Prediction: Rockets sweep 2-0

This is the 10th of Piston Powered’s preview series, taking a look at how the Pistons stack up against all 29 NBA teams. Here’s a list of the other previews.

Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors

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