Las Vegas — No. 1 and No. 2. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green.
It was the marquee matchup on the Summer League schedule, and those games sometimes have a way of not living up to the billing.
Tuesday’ night’s matchup was worthy of the top billing, with the top two picks in the draft in the much-anticipated prime-time slot. The Pistons had a hot start, but the Rockets recovered and coasted to a 111-91 victory at Thomas & Mack Center.
Cunningham finished with 20 points, four rebounds and two assists, and had some highlight-reel plays in the head-to-head matchup with Green, who had 25 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Luka Garza had 15 points in 16 minutes, Saben Lee 13 points and Saddiq Bey added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
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The Pistons jumped to a 13-3 lead in the first three minutes, following Cunningham’s first 3-pointer. The Rockets answered with nine straight points, with five points by Josh Christopher (15 points and seven assists) and an alley-oop play by Alperen Sengun (21 points an eight rebounds).
Here are some quick observations from the Pistons’ loss:
►The matchup: From the start of the game, Cunningham and Green seemed to sense the moment and defended each other. It added to the excitement with the crowd getting to see what they wanted with the two marquee offensive players having to play defense too. Cunningham seemed to get the best of those head-to-head matchups, including a pretty behind-the-back move to get open for a 3-pointer.
There was a ton of hype leading up to the matchup, and the two star players brought the energy.
►Unleashing Cade: In the opening game, Cunningham seemed to be relegated to being less of a ballhandler and facilitator and more of a spot-up shooter. Against the Rockets, he showed more of his all-around game, hitting from 3-point range, driving to the rim and creating opportunities for others. Many of those shots didn’t fall, but Cunningham’s passes were on the mark and those results likely will be different in the regular season. In a stretch in the third quarter, Cunningham ha a 3-pointer and scored on a lay-up, then dished the ball to Garza for an easy basket. Those are the types of plays that will help him make an immediate impact when the season rolls around.
►Garza factor: Coming off the bench, Garza has been a focal point of the second group, giving the Pistons the option to establish a big-man presence in the paint. He again showed his versatility, hitting from the outside and more importantly, scoring inside. He’s had a good pair of games in Summer League, and he’s showing that he could make the decision for who gets the final roster spots very interesting. The Pistons have three centers already under contract, but Garza can make a case to have them reconsider things.
►On the ball: As impressive as Cunningham’s defense on Green was, Hayes was just as good, if not better. He stayed in front of Green and made finding shots more difficult. Cunningham and Hayes each blocked a Green jumper and denied passing lanes. That’s one of the big developments in the pair of games is that chemistry that Hayes and Cunningham have on the defensive end. In Hayes’ case, at 6-foot-5, he was able to take some of that defensive assignment, so the Pistons could stagger their minutes and use Cunningham as a facilitator when needed.
►Roster additions: One of the their three second-round picks, Balsa Koprivica, was added to the Summer League roster and made his debut in the first half. Because the trade with the Charlotte Hornets wasn’t finalized until last week, Koprivica wasn’t able to practice with the team and likely was a little behind on picking up some of the concepts. Deividas Sirvydis, who didn’t play in the first game, also dressed and played in the first half against the Rockets. Sirvydis finished with three points and Koprivica two points.
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard