Rockets vs Pistons Prediction

Detroit Pistons (3-35) vs Houston Rockets (18-18)

Game Info: Friday, January 12, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Little Caesars Arena)

Betting Odds: Detroit Pistons +7.5 -- Over/Under: 229

The Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons collide at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night. Here’s a Rockets vs Pistons Prediction.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have been in a rut as they've lost three of their past four games overall and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting beaten by the Bulls in a 124-119 overtime road defeat on Wednesday. Alperen Sengun led the team with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Fred VanVleet added 20 points with 10 assists while Jabari Smith Jr and Jalen Green scored 18 points apiece. As a team, the Rockets shot 47 percent from the field and 11 of 45 from the 3-point line as they showed plenty of fight to rally back from a 16-point deficit only to waste a five-point lead in overtime to fall to 3-12 on the road this season.

Houston Rockets Player Facts

• Fred VanVleet ranks 5th amongst qualified players for assists per game (8.5) this season.
• Alperen Sengun ranks 4th amongst qualified Centers for assists per game (5.0) this season.

Detroit Pistons

Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons have continued their downward spiral this season as they've lost 34 of their last 35 games overall and they will be hoping to arrest a six-game slide after getting thrashed by the Spurs in a 130-108 loss on Wednesday. Jalen Duren led the team with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivey scored 19 points each while Alec Burks chipped in with 15 points off the bench. As a team, the Pistons shot 45 percent from the field and 10 of 32 from the 3-point line as they struggled to find their offense and were immediately on the back foot after getting outscored by 31-19 in the first quarter. The Pistons hung around for most of the contest, but were always a couple steps behind with players like Killian Hayes scoring just four points on two of eight shooting and Ausar Thompson scoring just three points on one of six shooting.

Detroit Pistons Player Facts

• Jalen Duren ranks 5th amongst qualified players for FG% (64.7%) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pistons rank 30th in the league for point differential per game this season (-11.7).
• The Pistons rank 30th in the league for steals per game this season (6.2).
• The Rockets rank 1st in the league for opponent three-point percentage this season (33.4%).
• The Rockets rank 1st in the league for opponent field goals made per game this season (39.3).

Rockets vs Pistons Prediction

The Rockets are still a little shorthanded with Dillon Brooks still out, while the Pistons are still without Monte Morris and Cade Cunningham. The Rockets haven't been at their best lately and they are coming into this one fresh off an overtime loss, but the Pistons have been absolutely ice-cold and they looked toothless in their loss to the Spurs without their leading scorer, Cunningham. The line is reasonable for this one, so I will happily take the Rockets to get the win and cover on the road.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.