The Houston Rockets look to win once again against the Pistons

For the second time in two games, the Houston Rockets will be playing the Detroit Pistons. Can they produce a similar result as last game and sweep the season series?

The Houston Rockets are back, ladies and gentlemen. They have won five in a row and eight of their last ten games. For the most part, these wins have also come against teams with positive records. In other words, the Rockets are legit once again after a slow start.

Last time out, they played the Detroit Pistons in Houston and came out victorious in a close battle. Blake Griffin practically carried the Pistons to a close game, especially in the fourth quarter after P.J. Tucker was ejected for arguing calls.

They get an odd opportunity to play them once again two days later after taking a break for Thanksgiving. Since Detroit is an Eastern Conference team, this is the last time the two will play this season.

Let’s look at the starters, though they should look similar to last time:

Starting 5s

Rockets

Chris Paul/James Harden/James Ennis/P.J. Tucker/Clint Capela

Pistons

Reggie Jackson/Reggie Bullock/Glenn Robinson III/Blake Griffin/Andre Drummond

Keys to success

The Rockets were able to score a ton against the Pistons last time out. They dropped 126 points, with 43 of those coming from the MVP James Harden. If they score that many again, it’s tough to envision them losing.

Containing Blake Griffin is key. He was insanely good in the fourth quarter and almost won them the game. Hopefully, Tucker can stay in the game and not get ejected once again. His defense on Griffin was solid throughout.

Clint Capela was huge last game and made the rebounding disadvantage into an even matchup. He dropped 27 points and 15 rebounds, drawing fouls on Drummond and making him work down low. Look for him to do more of the same as the Rockets try to sweep the season series.

No one could guard Chris Paul in the first half of last game. Let’s hope he’s on fire once again, as the midrange shot is something that he can take advantage of against Detroit.

The bench will need to be more productive. They had just 16 of the 126 points last time, with Eric Gordon scoring just seven. He needs to be better for the Rockets to fully succeed. Now, he seems tentative to shoot. Let it fly, EG, we need you to shoot yourself out of this slump.

Be sure to tune into an earlier game time, 6 p.m. CT, on AT&T SportsNet or NBAtv!