Detroit — When the schedule was released before the season, the Pistons’ home matchup against the Houston Rockets was one of the marquee games because of the anticipated matchup with the top two picks in the draft.
That matchup didn’t materialize, as the Rockets’ Jalen Green missed the game because of a hamstring injury.
The rest of the Rockets squad were formidable without Green, as they stretched to a double-digit lead in the third quarter and extended the lead in the fourth quarter. The Pistons rallied, but the Rockets held on for a 116-107 win on a Saturday matinee at Little Caesars Arena.
It’s the 14th straight loss for the Pistons (4-24), who have the second game of a back-to-back on Sunday night at home against the Miami Heat.
Saddiq Bey finished with 23 points, Cade Cunningham 21 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists and Isaiah Stewart 16 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons, who beat the Rockets in the earlier meeting this season.
The Pistons had a good start, making 3 of their first 4 from the field. They took off from there, with three straight 3-pointers from Bey, Cunningham and Hamidou Diallo, to tie it at 17. The Rockets took off with a lay-in from Christian Wood (21 points and eight assists) and a basket from Garrison Mathews (16 points and five assists).
That ignited a 15-7 spurt for the Rockets (10-20), with three more points each from Wood and Kenyon Martin Jr. (10 points and 11 rebounds).
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
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