Detroit Pistons vs Houston Rockets Predictions, Odds, Picks

• The Pistons sit at the bottom of the East, waiting for Cade Cunningham to announce himself to the NBA.
• The Rockets own the worst record in the West and are going through their own growing pains with Jalen Green.
• The Rockets and Pistons split the season series last year.

Pistons vs Rockets Odds

Odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

Neither the Pistons nor Rockets offer much in the way of two-way basketball organization. However, the Rockets are a bit more complete, especially on the offensive side. While all eyes will be on the top rookies, the matchup between Christian Wood and Jerami Grant will drive this game in the direction of the winner.

Pick:

Houston Rockets def. Detroit Pistons (-125)

Check out our NBA betting bonuses and promo codes here!

Head-to-Head: Detroit Pistons vs Houston Rockets

Injury Report

DET: Scrape and Claw

The Detroit Pistons are not what you’d call an adept offensive team. In fact, they are the league’s worst offensive team. They need to start winning now, or Dwane Casey may find himself on the hot seat.

Dwane Casey is seen as a solid defensive coach, but not an inspiration on the offensive end. Detroit are last in the league in points, defensive rebounds, two-point field goal percentage, and three-point field goal percentage through ten games.

Where the Pistons can battle is on the glass and on the defensive side. Averaging 11.1 offensive rebounds per game and 8.9 steals per game, the Pistons know how to generate extra opportunities. Making this a blue-collar affair would be favorable for the Pistons against Houston’s leaky defence.

Pistons Key Player: (G-F) Cade Cunningham

Cade Cunningham’s first NBA three is from the logo ? pic.twitter.com/cwBvmgzoRC

— ESPN (@espn) November 5, 2021

Cade Cunningham opened the season with injury, so it’s difficult to see his full ability in just four games. While he’s come alive on the scoring end as of late, he still needs to contribute in other ways.

The first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cunningham is coming off of a 17 points, 4 rebound, 2 assist game. While his scoring was decent, he only scored as much on 35.3% shooting while committing 6 turnovers.

Cunningham is nowhere near 100%, but he is still important to the Pistons’ offence. A point guard, Cunningham is averaging just 2.8 assists per game. If he wants to lead Detroit to victory, Cunningham needs to use the attention he draws to his team’s advantage.

HOU: Get to the Line!

To say that the Houston Rockets are struggling may be an understatement. Not only are they owners of just one win on the season, they are in the bottom third of most major statistical categories.

Where the Rockets seem to excel though is in their ability to get to the free-throw line. They are aggressive going to the rim or attacking mismatches, allowing them to compete with more organized defensive units.

Wood, Sengun, Gordon, and Green account for more than half of the team’s free throws per game. So long as those four are aggressive and not settling, they have a chance against the Pistons.

Rockets Key Player: (G) Jalen Green

Jalen Green is absolutely nuts pic.twitter.com/Vbme93kAnx

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 3, 2021

Second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Jalen Green is a sparkplug when it comes to scoring. He’s been inconsistent though, something the Rockets hope he gets over soon.

Green is averaging a modest 13.6 points per game but on a dreadful 35.3% from the field and 28.6% from three. It isn’t that he’s a poor scorer, but he doesn’t have much offensive savvy while also having few teammates who can support his efforts.

The Filipino-American guard will want to use the scoring column as the standard when he faces fellow 2021 Draft-mate Cade Cunningham. At the moment, scoring is his best asset.

How to Watch Detroit Pistons vs Houston Rockets