Kevin Durant Drops 32 Points To Lead Houston Rockets To Road Win Over Detroit Pistons

In a game between two of the most premier offenses in the NBA, the Houston Rockets were able to pull out a tough road win over the top team in the East, the Detroit Pistons, in a 111-104 final on Friday night.

Rockets Offense Blasts Off As KD Turns Back the Clock

There was much to like on the offensive side of the ball for the Rockets in this game, as they shot a highly efficient 49% from the field, which helped them build an insurmountable lead late in the second half. It also helped in seeing their star player and go-to scorer, Kevin Durant, turn back the clock to lead the Rockets to victory.

The 15-time All-Star dropped an efficient game-leading 32 points. He lit up the Pistons from deep with 5 threes in a great throwback performance in the win.

Those 5 threes also launched Durant further up the NBA’s all-time three-pointers list, as Durant passed Dallas Mavericks legend Jason Terry for 11th place. Durant now sits just four threes away from passing Vince Carter for the 10th position on that same list.

KD also had some nice support from a few other players in this win, namely Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. Sengun finished with 19 points and 5 assists in a nice outing, while Thompson almost dropped a triple-double as he put together a stat line of 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in a great all-around showing.

The Rockets saw almost everyone get involved on offense tonight, as five players finished in double figures in the win. After hitting a bit of a rough patch of late, the Rockets’ second-year Guard Reed Sheppard was able to find his offensive rhythm in the win for Houston. The former Kentucky Wildcat finished with a solid 18 points.

Pistons Go Cold From Three In Loss

While neither team exactly lit things up from beyond the arc, the Pistons’ woeful outside shooting was the deciding factor in Detroit’s loss. The Pistons shot just 22% from three, a rare thing to see from one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams. That poor shooting from deep would also bleed over into other parts of the game for Detroit, as they also committed 16 turnovers in an overall sloppy showing.

It was a rough night for Cade Cunningham, who was thoroughly held in check by Thompson the entire game. Cunningham had only 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting while also committing 6 turnovers in the loss. This latest game continues a worrying trend for Cunningham this month, as the Pistons All-Star is shooting just 36% from the field since the start of January.

Although it was another rough outing for Cunningham, the Pistons did see star Center Jalen Duren put together another solid performance. The third-year big man finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds. It’s been a bit of a breakout month for Duren. He is averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds at a very efficient 58% shooting from the floor in January.

Rockets Quietly Climbing Back Up the Standings

After a nightmare start to the new year, which saw the Rockets lose four out of six games earlier in the month, they have turned things around. Tonight’s win represented their fourth win in the last five games, which has allowed Houston to climb back up the standings. The Rockets are now sitting comfortably at fourth place in the Western Conference standings, while remaining just one game back from the Denver Nuggets for the third spot.

Meanwhile, for the Pistons, this loss won’t have any adverse effects on their current position in the Eastern Conference. The only thing that this loss will set Detroit back in is in the race for the best record in the NBA. The Pistons now sit three games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for that honor, as the defending champion Thunder have an impeccable record of 37-8 so far this season.