Kevin Durant scored 32 points to lift the Houston Rockets to a 111–104 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, snapping Detroit’s four-game winning streak.
Durant continued his dominance against Detroit, a team he’s torched more consistently than any other in his career. He added seven rebounds and three assists in 40 turnover-free minutes, improving his career average against the Pistons to 30.6 points per game. Eighteen of his points came in the first half as Houston stayed within striking distance.
Alperen Şengün finished with 19 points, Reed Sheppard added 18, and Amen Thompson filled the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who have won four of their last five games and snapped a five-game road losing streak.
Houston took control with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Detroit 34–20 to turn a 52–52 halftime tie into an 86–72 advantage. Durant and Sheppard combined for 18 points in the period, shooting 7-of-8 from the field as the Rockets hit 68.4% overall. Defensively, Houston clamped down, limiting Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson to just two shot attempts in the first eight minutes of the quarter.
Detroit made a push early in the fourth. After Cade Cunningham missed a shot, Jae’Sean Tate was assessed a flagrant foul for undercutting Ron Holland II on the rebound. Holland hit both free throws, and Jalen Duren followed with a dunk off a Cunningham lob to cut the deficit to 87–80. Isaiah Stewart’s three-point play after a Houston turnover pulled the Pistons within four, but they couldn’t close the gap any further.
Josh Okogie’s 3-pointer pushed the Rockets’ lead to 101–93 with 5:19 remaining, and Sheppard’s layup with just over two minutes left restored a double-digit cushion to seal the win.
Duren led Detroit with 18 points and seven rebounds, but the Pistons’ other four starters struggled, combining for 37 points on 13-of-35 shooting. Detroit had success inside early, outscoring Houston 36–24 in the paint in the first half, but couldn’t maintain that edge after the break.
Up next:
The Rockets host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, while the Pistons return home to face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon.
