In tonight’s Cross-conference matchup, we will look at how Houston Rockets perform against Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center, Houston.
The home side, Houston Rockets are coming into this matchup with 4 consecutive wins behind them, which is a nice change of pace after a 1-5 run they had in October. It seems like they have found their rhythm with recent performances; defeating Indiana Pacers (115:109), Denver Nuggets (99:109), Golden State Warriors (107:86) and Sacramento Kings (132:112). From what they showed us, their defense, as well as offense, have drastically improved compared to the start of the season, but they have a real test in front of them tonight. Now going back at their most recent match against Sacramento Kings, we had a chance to see a high scoring match, which ended in a total of 244 points. The first quarter ended with a 7 points Rockets lead (36:29). The first quarter saw both teams with high FG% (Rockets 52.2% and Kings with 61.9%). The second quarter saw Rockets extending the lead to 12 with a spectacular work in the offensive and defensive end of the court. They held Kings at 44.4 FG%, whereas Rockets shot 65% from the field. With the second quarter ending 35:30, the teams went into the second half with a scoreboard showing 71:59 for the home side. The 3rd quarter was as expected in Rocket’s favor once again (38:27) due to their 66.7 FG% and an excellent work in the defensive end, holding Kings at only 35.5% from the field. At this point, with a 23 point lead, Houston had the win in their hands. The last 12 minutes were slightly in visiting team favor (23:26), but the Kings were far from making a comeback, the closest they got was 15 point deficit but had to settle for a 20 point defeat in the end. Rockets won their 4th match in the row, whereas Kings lost their 2nd in a row. Final score 132:112.
Detroit Pistons are currently holding an 8-6 record, with 4 of their wins coming from the last 5 matches. In the course of those 5 matches, they only lost to Charlotte Hornets (103:113) but managed to defeat Eastern Conference leaders Toronto Raptors (104:106) in the next game. Now looking at their most recent game against Cleveland Cavaliers, Pistons won as it was expected, but did not convince me with their performance. Detroit accumulated a 24 point lead prior to the last quarter but got outscored by 13 points in the last 12 minutes. Yes, they still got the win, but getting too comfortable with a 24 point lead just might turn around and bite you once you face against a better opponent. The match was won by Pistons nonetheless which was their 2nd win in a row, and 2nd defeat in a row for Cavaliers. Final score: 113:102.
Both of the teams are performing well this season, at least in the most recent games. Houston Rockets are at the moment considered the best team when it comes to 3pt shooting (almost 50%), but unlucky for them, Pistons defend the 3pt line well, limiting opponents to only 32.1% which will result in a lower offensive threat from the home side. On the other side, Rockets are good at defending the paint, with Clint Capela and Isaiah Hartenstein who will face off against Detroit duo Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. The teams will provide us with an excellent match. With the Rockets slow offensive pace and their good defensive work going against Pistons, who much like Rockets have a strong defense I can’t see this match going over 215 points.
Prediction: Under 215.00 Points
Odds: 1.93 SBOBET
