Houston Overcomes Detroit in Afternoon Thriller

The Rockets beat the Pistons 101-99. Tari Eason was Houston's anchor once again.

Nov 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) drives past Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets beat the Detroit Pistons 101-99 on Sunday afternoon.

Houston got off to a hot 11-2 start, forcing Detroit to call a timeout early in the game. Alperen Sengun started off blazing, shooting 3-for-4 with six points before the timeout.

The Pistons tied the game at 26 with 9:28 to go in the second quarter. They went on an 11-0 run to bring them up 31-26. Dillon Brooks ended the run to make the game 31-28.

Cade Cunningham continued to play well, having 14 points and three assists, leading his team to a 45-43 lead at halftime. Sengun had 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting at the half.

The Rockets shot 38.3% from the field and the Pistons shot 39.5% from the field in the first half. Houston only shot 18.8% from three to Detroit's 31.6% from deep.

Detroit held control of the game for most of the third quarter, as well as the first half. Fred VanVleet hit his first shot of the afternoon: a three-pointer late in the third quarter to bring Houston up by two points.

Tari Eason helped the Rockets gain control back with 2:37 left in the third quarter. Sengun hit a tough contensted shot to give them a two-point lead, and then Eason stole the ball which led to an and-one for the forward. He hit the free throw and Houston went up 65-60. He stole the ball again, got free throws, and made one.

The fourth quarter got off to a booming start courtesy of Jalen Green dunking on Cunningham. Houston found their way to a 10-point lead. Eason continued to help the team, having some big plays on offense. He continues to be a big part of Houston's success on both ends of the floor, turning defense into offense.

Cunningham and the Pistons went on another scoring run, making the score 87-86 in the middle of the fourth. They took the lead at 88-87. Green made a tough shot to make the score 89-88, giving Houston the lead.

Houston's hustle was the key factor in the last two minutes. Eason recovered an airball from Green, passed it to Dillon Brooks, and the veteran forward dunked it down. Sengun then grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back with a layup to bring them up by five points.

Tobias Harris missed two big free throws with the score 101-99 with 1 second left, leading to Houston's win.

Jalen Green passed Shane Battier for the sixth-most threes in Rockets history.

The Rockets take on the Washington Wizards tomorrow night at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Tip-off is at 7:00 P.M. CST.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.