Pistons 116, Rockets 105

But the Pistons got huge games from Reggie Jackson (31 points, eight assists) and Andre Drummond (24 points, 13 rebounds), who was limited to three minutes in the first quarter when he picked up two quick fouls.

The Pistons built a 28-point first-half lead, then almost gave it away before holding off the Rockets 116-105 at The Palace. After absorbing close to a half a dozen intentional fouls, Andre Drummond answered by hitting just four of 14 free throw attempts in the period, allowing Houston to cut the lead to as little as four. TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN DetroitABOUT THE ROCKETS (7-10): High-scoring guard James Harden has strung together six consecutive 20-point outings – three have been for 40 or more points – and is averaging 34.5 points during the stretch.

Harden finished with 29 points for the Rockets, but he shot just 6-15, while Marcus Thornton dropped 18, including 4 triples, as the duo carried the Rockets in the fourth quarter, but ultimately to no avail.

The Rockets did come out with more spark in the third quarter, as coach J.B.

The strategy worked, as Houston brought Detroit’s offense to a halt, and were able to pull within 84-73 by quarter’s end.

Houston also scored the first seven points of the fourth but Pistons regrouped and got the lead up to double digits again with 5:48 left on a Drummond tip-in.

It might have gotten lost in an endless parade of free throws, but Monday night proved something important about the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons maintained control, even after Jackson’s rookie mistake of fouling Harden on a 3-pointer, giving him a four-point play.

“If we’re playing defense, I can keep him out there if he’s making one out of two – our defense can keep us in the game if we’re getting one point per possession”, Van Gundy said. He played in both games of a back-to-back set with at least 30 minutes in both games. “They’ve got to play better.”…

Rockets: Houston has won eight of their past nine games and 13 of their past 16 games against the Pistons. “I still believe in Ty and I still believe in Brew”, he said.