Rockets: Pistons offer little resistance in rout.
In their first appearance at Toyota Center since Feb. 12, the Rockets gave their largest crowd of the season quite a show.
A dominating first half, some late-game drama, the end of Terrence Jones’ slump and the home debut of forward Jordan Hamilton added up to the Rockets’ 118-110 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night in front of 18,330 fans.
Hamilton got his first start with the team as he played in front of the home crowd for the first time. Chandler Parsons missed the game due to illness. Hamilton finished with 13 points and four rebounds and is averaging 8.3 points since joining the team from Denver on Feb. 20.
“I was a little nervous; I’m not going to lie,” Hamilton, 23, said. “But it was a good crowd, and we got off to a really good start and got the win.”
Run it up early
By the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led 41-20. They kept up the energy in the second half and had their way with a Pistons team that struggled defensively. From fast-break layups to alley-oops to 3-pointers, the Rockets did it all. They shot 61.4 percent from the field and led 6946 at halftime.
“It was great,” coach Kevin McHale said. “We came out and we were really clicking. We really moved the ball. We had it going up and down and just did a nice job doing what we’ve been talking about doing, which is attacking early.”
Jones, who averaged 10 points and 5.3 rebounds in February after a January with averages of 15.8 points and 9.5 rebounds, looked like himself again. He finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. His last 20-point performance came Jan. 28 in a win over the Spurs.
Rockets forward Omri Casspi also had some snap. He scored 16 points and was 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
“Both of those things were good,” McHale said. “Omri made a lot of shots, and Terrence was playing with a lot of energy. They really helped set a good pace tonight.”
Pistons recover
In the third quarter, the Pistons chipped away, cutting the lead to 15. In the fourth, the Pistons closed it to seven points. And just like that, the Rockets needed heroics.
“I was worried when we got that big lead,” McHale said. “We got a little stagnant. I got scared that we would get compla- cent because that’s what happens.”
A pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes from Pat Beverley helped the Rockets keep the game just out of reach. Beverley’s five 3-pointers tied his career high. James Harden also knocked down two clutch free throws, the Rockets got a pair of offensive rebounds and Jones scored in the last 90 seconds.
Harden finished with 20 points and 12 assists, and Dwight Howard added 17 points and eight rebounds.
“I don’t like the way we played in the second half,” Howard said. “We have to be better than that when we get a big lead.”
The Rockets never trailed, marking the eighth time this season they didn’t lose a lead.