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Houston Rockets Vs. Detroit Pistons: Game 79: Sneak Peek Analysis

By Brian K. Patterson

Nov 21, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) is defended by Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) is defended by Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Rockets have four games to go before the clock resets once again.

The Houston Rockets have four games to go before the clock resets once again.

Yep, this hell of a ride we’ve had this season is about to come to close and it will be start of a new beginning when the playoffs start.

With a playoff berth and the No. 3 seed certainly being secure, the Houston Rockets can focus on using the remaining games to tune up and prepare for their potential playoff opponent — likely the Oklahoma City Thunder or possibly the Memphis Grizzlies — so that all systems are go later this month.

But the Rockets will face the 35-43 Detroit Pistons, a team that has a ton of talent, plays defense well but struggles to put points on the board.

That will not bode well for the Pistons who have the 26th-best offense in the NBA in terms of efficiency.

The Rockets have the 2nd best.

We’ll have to see how this pans as Detroit usually plays this team quite hard.

So what’s next?

So who’s leading the charge for the Pistons?

Tobias Harris leads the team in scoring (16.2 PPG), Andre Drummond in rebounds (13.9 RPG), steals (1.6 SPG) and blocks (1.1 BPG).  Ish Smith is in charge of the dimes (5.0 APG).

Let’s talk about what the Pistons do well.

They’re a solid defensive team.  The Pistons are tied for 9th — with the Toronto Raptors in defensive efficiency, averaging 105.2 points per 100 possessions.

They’re a strong rebounding team.  The Pistons are 4th in rebound rate, taking down 51.6 percent of missed shots.

They take care of the basketball.  The Pistons are 2nd in turnover ratio, with a measly 11 percent of their possession ending in a turnover.

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Injuries:

Ryan Anderson sprained his right ankle after getting tangled up with DeMarcus Cousins March 24 against the New Orleans Pelicans.  He was expected to be out for two weeks as he nurses his ankle back to full recovery.  He’s certainly on track as he did practice yesterday and things went well.  Unless there’s an unforeseen delay with his recovery schedule he should be back in uniform tonight.

Sam Dekker injured his left hand after getting tangled up with Chris Dudley and Patrick Beverley for a loose ball in the 2nd half of Sunday’s match up with the Suns.  It has been categorized as a broken hand and is estimated to be out for the next three to four weeks.  He did have successful surgery to repair the damage Monday and will be re-evaluated in a week.

As for the Pistons, Reggie Jackson (knee) has been shut down for the rest of the season.

Source(s): Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle,  Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, CBS Sports

Matchups to Watch:

  1. Patrick Beverley vs. Ish Smith
  2. James Harden vs. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  3. Clint Capela vs. Andre Drummond
  4. Trevor Ariza vs. Tobias Harris

Prediction:

114-102 in a Houston Rockets’ win!

The Rockets are at home to take on the Pistons at Toyota Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on NewsRadio 740AM (KTRH), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM 81 (Internet 890) and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets

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