There’s no way to sugarcoat it, last night’s game against the Rockets was an ugly, at times nearly unwatchable affair that featured more fouls, free throws, technicals and reviews than it did basketball. It was a grind, but the Pistons gave consistent effort through it all and leaned on their depth to get a big win.
It’s only the second game of the season, but the ridiculous hot takes were already flying after one bad outing against the Bulls. The Pistons responded with flat-out effort from the get-go last night, though it was hard to get into a rhythm with the constant whistles and reviews.
Detroit leaned into their quickness against the Rockets to grab an early lead, but then the fouls started, and at times it looked like the entire team might foul out. Ausar Thompson (who was brilliant) picked up two early ones, as did Beef Stew, Ron Holland and of course, Jalen Duren, who had an early exit for the second night after picking up two stupid technicals.
Duren has not made a strong case for the $30 million a year contract he’s seeking and has so far been outplayed by Isaiah Stewart by ten miles and last night even Paul Reed. It was the latter who made the game-saving block and showed that the Pistons have enough depth to compete even with two players fouled out and another ejected while three watched injured from the bench.
Detroit Pistons depth chart looks deeper after win over Rockets
Last night was truly a blue collar, Detroit-style win that required help from just about everyone. Rookie Chaz Lanier got his first run and bucket, Daniss Jenkins played five solid minutes, and Javonte Green gave JB Bickerstaff 20 minutes off the bench, playing solid defense and knocking down a 3-pointer.
With Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert out, these minutes were crucial, and these guys held their own.
The biggest boost came from Paul Reed, who was forced into 19 minutes because of Duren’s ejection and Stewart’s foul trouble. He gave the Pistons 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, including the one that more or less sealed the game.
Hats off to veteran Tobias Harris, who played 40 minutes to lead the team, defended all of those giant Rockets and held his own for eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Duncan Robinson also bounced back for a strong game and showed his versatility with two assists, three rebounds and three BLOCKS to go along with his 17 points. He played a whopping 38 minutes and defended up all night, even guarding Kevin Durant at times.
One of the best sequences of the night was when Robinson grabbed an offensive rebound, kicked it out to Chaz Lanier and then sprinted to the corner. Lanier fired it back, and Robinson nailed the corner 3-pointer on a nice read and pass from the rookie.
It was amazing to see the Pistons get a win with their depth on a strange night from Cade Cunningham, who was hounded constantly and had eight turnovers to go along with his 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Even though he did well directing the offense most of the night, it wasn’t a banner game for Cade, and the rest of the team stepped up, which you love to see.
It was a true team win for the Pistons, one that will hopefully build more chemistry and momentum for the home opener against the hated Celtics.