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Game 44: Houston Rockets Vs. Detroit Pistons Preview

By Brian K. Patterson

Nov 30, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) guarded by Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 116-105. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) guarded by Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 116-105. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Rockets’ fans — here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s match up.

The Rockets will take on the 22-19 Detroit Pistons for the final time this season as they hope for a split in the season series.

The team suffered a 116-105 loss to tonight’s opponent up in Motown back Nov. 30, the last time these two teams met.

Dwight Howard has been playing quite well as of late and it will be interesting to see if he can put on a clinic for Andre Drummond, their leading big man on the roster.

This won’t be an easy match up for the Rockets but I do expect a grind-out all the way to end, especially in front of the home crowd.

So who’s leading the charge for the Pistons?

More from House of Houston

It’s a two-man wrecking crew!

Reggie Jackson is the leading scorer (19.4 PPG) and assist man (6.6 APG).  Andre Drummond is the top board-getter (15.5 RPG), steals king (1.70 SPG) and shot-blocker (1.50 BPG).

Let’s talk about what the Pistons do well.

They are a solid defensive team.  The Pistons are 9th in the league in defensive efficiency allowing just 100.3 points per 100 possessions.

They are rebounding beasts.  The Pistons are 3rd in the league in rebound rate (52.4).

They take care of the basketball.  The Pistons are 3rd in the league as far as turnover ratio with 12.3 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.

Injuries:

Patrick Beverley sprained his left ankle late in their blowout loss to the Cavs this past Friday night.  It looked painful even from my vantage point while I was in attendance at the game.  Nonetheless, he re-aggravated it against the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night, exiting the game and did not return.  His status is likely questionable for tonight.  As usual, Jason Terry will get the start at the point if he can’t go.

If you’ve been under a rock lately, Donatas Motiejunas‘ back issues have flared up again.  Yep, another team member with a back issue!  He has planned to sit out until he’s pain-free so no specific timeline has been set.  This is such a setback to a guy that’s been working so hard to get back into a rhythm.  There was no structural damage to the back itself so he may be back sooner than we think but he may not.  We just have to cross our fingers for a speedy recovery.  Montrezl Harrell will take his spot on the roster for the time being, he had been leading the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in scoring during his stint there (21.5 PPG).

Sam Dekker had back surgery back in November but the 2015 first-round pick seems to be edging closer to a return.  He was seen shooting on the practice court for the first time since heading to the injured list.  This is certainly a sign of good things to come.

Sources:  Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

Next: Ty Lawson To Be Traded Before The Deadline?

Three Things to Watch:

  1. Dwight Howard vs. Andre Drummond
  2. James Harden vs. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  3. Patrick Beverley? vs. Reggie Jackson
  4. (Bonus)  Clint Capela vs. Ersan Ilyasova

Prediction:

104-101 in a Rockets’ win!

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

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

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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