Rockets vs. Pistons
When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday/Little Caesars Arena, Detroit. TV/radio: ATTSW; 790 AM, 93.3 FM (Spanish), 1010 AM (Spanish). So far: Rockets 9-19, Pistons 4-23.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH Welcome back
1
Christian Wood had his breakthrough
season with the Pistons in 2019-20 before signing with the Rockets as a free agent. He has made no secret about how much he looks forward to playing his former teams. In his two games with the Rockets against the Pistons, he has averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds, but he has yet to play in Detroit with the Rockets. Wood missed the past two Rockets games with tendinitis in his left knee and struggled in the previous game, sitting out the fourth quarter of the win in Atlanta. But the Rockets believed he would be ready by the weekend after skipping the back-to-back.
Limiting “Deeeeeetroit basketball!”
2
The Pistons’ most reliable strength has
been their ability to force turnovers, ranking fourth in the NBA by forcing 15.7 per game. They average 17.1 points off turnovers per game, tied for ninth in the league even with their low-scoring offense. They scored 21 points off turnovers in the first meeting with the Rockets.
The Rockets take care of the ball better than they were when the teams met in November, but their average of 17.5 turnovers per game is the most in the NBA, leading to a league-high 22.3 points off turnovers.
Ball movement
3
The Rockets’ offense is generally at its
best when the largest percentage of its field goals are assisted. Against the Knicks on Thursday, they had assists on 29 of their 34 buckets and made 50 percent of their shots.
The Rockets have had at least 25 assists in nine of their past 12 games after getting at least 25 assists in just three of their first 16 games. They had just 17 in the loss to the Pistons.
Different directions
4
While the Rockets’ offense has surged,
the Pistons’ has slumped in recent weeks. They remain in similar positions overall this season, the Rockets ranking 27th and Pistons 29th. But in the last 12 games, the Rockets have had the fourthbest offense, the Pistons the league’s worst. Overall this season, the Pistons are 29th in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage and are without their best player, Jerami Grant, for at least six more weeks.
Rookie showdown, 2.0
5
The game will not bring another meeting of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green, the first and second picks of the draft, though Green is sure to hear from Pistons fans near the Rockets bench.
It will have some time with Cunningham going against Josh Christopher, who are both playing well. In his past six games, Christopher has averaged 12.3 points on 58.3 percent shooting and 47.6 percent 3-point shooting. Cunningham in that stretch has averaged 21.5 points, making 44.5 percent of his shots and 46.2 percent of his 3s.
INJURY/STATUS REPORT
Rockets: Forward Danuel House Jr. (sprained left ankle), guard John Wall, guard Jalen Green (strained left hamstring), guard Kevin Porter Jr. (bruised left thigh), and guard Daishen Nix (G League assignment) are out. Center/forward Christian Wood (left knee tendinitis) and guard Armoni Brooks (sore left ankle) are questionable.
Pistons: Forward Jerami Grant (thumb surgery), center Kelly Olynyk (sprained left knee), forward Jamorko Pickett (G League assignment), forward Isaiah Livers (G League assignment) and guard Chris Smith (G League assignment) are out.