NBA Matchups: January 23

HOU @ DET | PHX @ ATL | BOS @ BKN | SAC @ CLE | NOP @ MEM | IND @ OKC | DEN @ MIL | TOR @ POR

Houston Rockets (back end) at Detroit Pistons

Team Totals: Rockets 106, Pistons 110.5

Injury Report: Rockets on a B2B, Cade Cunningham (Q, hip), Ron Holland II (P, illness), Duncan Robinson (P, back), Caris LeVert (D, illness)

Rockets projected starters: Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Josh Okogie, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Pistons projected starters: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Udoka quotes: Said they started guarding in the second half to get a comeback against the Spurs, said Sheppard was making/taking shots with confidence and he liked that “5-point line” three to show some confidence, said Reed was a big part of their defense, said low 3-point volume is just how they are built, said they know teams are going to guard KD so they’re comfortable with teams “making other guys prove it,” said they are comfortable taking 3-pointers and he’s not worried about the slump they’ve had, said the trio of DFS/Amen/Tari will get them to more small-ball lineups with the injuries to Steven Adams, said they were picking on the matchups that they liked against the Spurs, said Jabari is getting great looks for them right now and he’s knocking them down, said they are going to emphasize guys crashing from the perimeter.

Bickerstaff quotes: Audio was not right, so nothing here.

Stats and Notes: 

*A fun matchup for size, but the Rockets won’t be able to bully the Pistons around in this one on a B2B and without Steven Adams. Even without Adams, the Rockets have been crushing on the boards and took it to the Spurs on the boards in their last game. Their paint defense has been better recently, and they’re still taking away C&S at the second-lowest rate in the league over the last 15 (Pacers). The Rockets have also been trending up with their transition defense lately after it fell off for a few weeks. It’s not a great matchup for the Pistons’ offense and their elite paint offense. For the Detroit defense, it sets up even better for them with the Rockets being a heavy paint offense (sixth). The Rockets still get a decent bit of mid-range scoring because of Kevin Durant, so it’s certainly possible they can produce even on a B2B. The Rockets also play at the slowest offensive pace in the NBA to make this an unattractive environment overall.

The Rockets did go to OT last night in Philly and really ran their guys (KD 44 minutes, Sengun 37, Amen 42), so maybe they give someone a night off.

*Kevin Durant is playing so much and has generally been unaffected on B2Bs. He has seen his usage rate trend up as the season has gone on and is up to 27.0% this month (26.0% December; 24.8% November). He did dominate this matchup against Tobias Harris/Ausar Thompson with a game-high 37 points back in October, and the Rockets may really lean on him because of the Pistons being such an incredible paint defense. 

*I’m not too into Amen Thompson in this spot. He’s such a heavy rim player that it’s tough for him to really pile up the interior scoring. He’s also going to have to guard Cade Cunningham to use a lot of energy over there. If Cade did miss, I’d be a little more open to it, but it’s not a great play either way.

*Alperen Sengun gets the worst matchup with Jalen Duren set to guard him for most of his minutes. It’s one of the worst spots he can get besides maybe Victor Wembanyama.

*Jabari Smith Jr. could be a sneaky play because of the Pistons giving up some C&S stuff. He’s been playing a ton, and he should have better rebounding numbers without Steven Adams. Plus, the Rockets may be thinner without Dorian Finney-Smith and Tari Eason. If the Rockets are missing multiple players, that could make Reed Sheppard viable.

*Cade Cunningham missed the last game because of a hip contusion despite initially being listed with an illness. He’s been incredible all year, but he will get one of the toughest tests in Amen Thompson guarding him. We did see guys like Deni Avdija and Tre Jones cook Amen, but I’d still shy away from Cade, and he only scored 21 in the earlier matchup this season. If he didn’t play, it might be a better matchup for Jaden Ivey over Daniss Jenkins for size, but never count out 90% Cade (that’s Jenkins).

*Jalen Duren’s matchup may sound bad against a bigger Rockets team, but they haven’t been all that great at limiting opponents from the offensive boards. Plus, if Cade is out, Duren has a 3% boost on his usage rate, as he’s shown he’s capable of getting his own shot. He’s in a pretty solid spot despite the Rockets being so exceptional at getting their own boards.

*Ausar Thompson gets a matchup against his bro, and this matchup isn’t all that great for him. In the last matchup, he guarded KD a bunch, and he may have to do so again. The Rockets were playing bigger, and maybe Ausar flips to his bro. Either way, I wouldn’t be too excited about Ausar in this spot. The Rockets are also taking away 3-pointers to make this a bad spot for Duncan Robinson. He may also be too small.

Great matchups: Kevin Durant

Good matchups: Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard

Bad matchups: Cade Cunningham, Alperen Sengun, Duncan Robinson

Phoenix Suns at Atlanta Hawks