Coty Davis asks Duncan Robinson about Friday’s 115-111 win against Rockets in Houston.
Coty Davis asks Duncan Robinson about Friday’s 115-111 win against Rockets in Houston.
Houston — When the Detroit Pistons stepped onto the court at the Toyota Center on Friday night, they faced the tallest starting lineup since the 1970s. The Houston Rockets fielded a lineup in which every player was at least 6-foot-7, featuring future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant (6’11) starting at shooting guard.
The Rockets’ choice to utilize their size reflects a strategy that coach J.B. Bickerstaff initiated during his time in Cleveland. This season, he has increasingly opted to play Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart together, a tactic he had to implement on Friday night inside the Toyota Center.
The Pistons prevailed against the larger lineup despite losing Duren to an ejection and Stewart to foul trouble, winning 115-111, marking their first victory of the season.
“It was a crazy game,” guard Cade Cunningham said. “A lot of emotions, and we lost both of our big fellas. … Everyone who came in, it was definitely a team effort.”
Duren was ejected at the 5:55 mark of the second quarter after picking up a flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson in the head. Duren made a move to cut to the basket when his left elbow struck Thompson’s head.
The incident took place after Duren and Thompson had a minor altercation. As Duren received an entry pass from Daniss Jenkins and started to attempt a two-handed dunk, Thompson confronted him aggressively. Both players were given technical fouls.
Early in the fourth quarter, both Stewart and Ron Holland II fouled out. Holland significantly impacted the game off the bench, contributing 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists for Detroit. However, despite losing three key players, the Pistons lean on their season-long model: “control the chaos.”
“Last year, there were times when things got a little muddy and we let our emotions get the best of us,” Bickerstaff said. “Tonight, we did a phenomenal job when things got messy. We did not back down or shy away. We kept our composure, and we were able to battle through it.”
After a subpar, terrible season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Duncan Robinson bounced back in a big way with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 4-of-8 on 3-pointers. Bickerstaff’s training camp prediction became a reality with Javonte Green, who came off the bench, adding seven points, four rebounds, and two assists. Daniss Jenkins hit a crucial three-pointer at the 6:30 mark to give Detroit a 101-99 lead.
Paul Reed significantly stepped up in the absence of Duren and Stewart, recording 13 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. With 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Reed delivered a crucial block on Rockets’ Alperen Sengun, preventing Houston from tying the game at 113-113.
“We’ve talked about it obviously, but the depth on our team is one of our strengths,” Bickerstaff said. “Guys ability to go impact the game in a way that’s to their strength.
“He’s just disruptive, he can read rebounds, ball in traffic, obviously he showed he can finish around the rim, but the things he does defensively is impressive. Really good players, able to get his hands on balls, block shots, and then help us finish possessions, he was big time for us tonight.”
BOX SCORE: Pistons 115, Rockets 111
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Kevin Durant led the Rockets with a game-high 37 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Sengun added 17 points and seven rebounds.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Reed said. “I feel like at that night like this everyone going to come together even more and go out there and have each other back even more than what we did than how we had each other back before.”
Ausar even series against his twin brother: The second half of a two-game road trip was not a lonely experience for Ausar Thompson. He enjoyed a family dinner in Houston with his twin brother, Amen Thompson, the night before their fourth regular-season matchup since entering the league in 2023.
Although there was no trash talk between the two brothers during dinner, Ausar was determined to even the score, knowing that Amen held a 2-1 series advantage. Ausar came up huge in the Pistons’ win with 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting, four assists, two rebounds. The Thompson twins are now tied at two wins each in their regular-season series.
“That’s what we’re looking for from Ausar,” Bickerstaff said. “We can talk about it over and over; his skill set is so unique. The things that he can do with the ball in his hands, and then on the defensive end of the floor, there’s just not many people that do them.
“The feel that he has for the game, the trust that we have in him to handle the ball and make the right decision. He makes defenses have to make tough decisions. They want to put their five on him. We put him in the pick-and-roll, and now he’s a roll threat with the ball in his hands, and he can playmake from the pocket. There are so many things we can do with him, and he’s just going to grow and get better.”
Non-point guard minutes could be a detriment: Following the loss of Dennis Schröder in free agency and with Jaden Ivey sidelined due to injury, this game highlighted the Pistons’ struggle without a secondary point guard or veteran ball-handler during minutes when Cunningham is not on the floor.
The Pistons’ offense was operating smoothly during the first nine minutes of the game. Robinson made his second 3-pointer of the period, giving the Pistons a 25-16 lead. However, Cunningham picked up his second personal foul after Durant scored an And-1 basket, which led Bickerstaff to substitute the All-Star guard out of the game.
When Cunningham was substituted, Detroit had a 25-19 lead. However, during the final three minutes, the Pistons’ offense struggled without a point guard. Even with Thompson at the helm, the Pistons’ offense stalled, allowing the Rockets to go on a 12-4 run.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
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