The Houston Rockets suffered a humiliating defeat at home against the Detroit Pistons with a score of 96-107. Despite the 11-point loss, it was considered a disgraceful defeat as the Rockets' strongest asset, rebounding, was dominated by the Pistons. The Pistons grabbed 52 rebounds, including 13 offensive rebounds, while the Rockets only managed to secure 39 rebounds, despite averaging 48.6 rebounds per game this season, which is the best in the league. The Pistons used the Rockets' own strength against them, which is quite embarrassing. Additionally, the Rockets received another blow as Jalen Green, who won the Player of the Week award, lost the game.
Last March, Jalen Green averaged 28.9 points and led the team to an 11-game winning streak, earning him the Player of the Week award but narrowly missing out on the Player of the Month. After that, Green's performance declined from his superhuman state, and it is uncertain whether he will repeat last season's performance in the upcoming two games against the Cavaliers. The Rockets desperately need Green to maintain his form. However, the issue for the Rockets is not Green but Shen Jing's recent playing style, which has been detrimental to the team.
In pursuit of an All-Star appearance, Shen Jing has been aggressively demanding the ball for isolation plays, often ignoring his teammates. His offensive efficiency in isolation situations is below one point per possession, which is considered subpar in the league. Defensively, Shen Jing is vulnerable to being targeted by opponents. The way the Pistons defeated the Rockets today resembled how the Rockets used to play against the Jazz. Shen Jing is like Gobert, Cunningham is like Harden, Jalen Green is like Mitchell, and Duran is like Capela.
Looking at the Pistons' starting lineup today, Cunningham is the core point guard with the ball, Hardaway adds firepower at shooting guard, Amen's younger brother Osar plays small forward, Harris plays power forward, and Duran plays center. Cunningham and Duran initiated pick-and-roll tactics, with the other three shooters spread out. In the first half, Duran completely overpowered Shen Jing, especially in the first quarter when Duran had an absolute advantage, and the Pistons scored 40-29, laying the foundation for their victory. In the second quarter, the Rockets made a comeback, focusing on a smaller lineup after benching Shen Jing, speeding up the pace and attacking with Van Vleet and White.
However, in the second half, Cunningham unleashed a Harden-like mode, scoring 17 points in a single quarter, with no one on the Rockets able to respond. They still trailed by 10 points entering the final quarter. In the last quarter, the Rockets had a chance to catch up, with Jalen Green scoring five consecutive points to close the gap to five. But when Green asked for the ball later, Ethan and Amen did not pass it to him, and Amen chose to shoot a three-pointer directly, which proved to be crucial. If they had passed to Green, there would have been hope to catch up, but after losing two crucial possessions, the Pistons extended the lead to 10 points, effectively ending the suspense of the game.
In the last four minutes, Udoka benched Shen Jing, who remained on the bench. Throughout the game, Jalen Green scored 19 points with 4 assists on 8-of-21 shooting, Shen Jing scored 11 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists on 5-of-14 shooting, Amen scored 17 points with 6 rebounds and assists, Van Vleet scored 20 points, and White scored 10 points. Cunningham of the Pistons scored 32 points with 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 10 turnovers on 12-of-22 shooting, while Duran had a terrifying 8-of-8 shooting for 16 points and 14 rebounds. Cunningham and Duran were the key factors in the Pistons' victory, as they controlled Green and Shen Jing. This is where the Rockets' problems lie. Losing is one thing, but they need to find solutions. Udoka needs to calm Shen Jing down.
Today, Green played well without any major issues, and it is normal to have one off-game after nine consecutive outstanding performances. The main problem is still Shen Jing, who needs to become more reasonable on offense. He should not pursue the All-Star status just for the sake of it. Sometimes, Shen Jing doesn't even bother to extend his hand for defensive rim protection, which is quite concerning. Udoka was also very angry after the game and criticized the entire team. In fact, the Rockets' defense put enough pressure on Cunningham, as the Pistons had 22 turnovers, with CC committing 10 turnovers, while the Rockets had 16 turnovers in total. Therefore, the problem lies in the frontcourt, as Shen Jing and Green don't seem to complement each other well, unlike Jokic and Murray.