But on the defensive end, the two moved slowly and couldn't guard against the pick-and-roll guided by Harden and Jeremy Lin. Patterson was wandering outside the three-point line, and Drummond couldn't guard him at all.
Patterson seized the opportunity and fired continuously from beyond the three-point line, making 2 of 3 shots and scoring 6 points.
The difference between the two teams has not narrowed, but has widened.
With 2 minutes left in the first quarter, the score reached 30:13.
The main players left the field one after another, and in the competition between the second team, the Pistons had a slight advantage.
Calderon acted as the brains of the team and revitalized the team's offense. Drummond finally got the big cake and performed two dunks.
In contrast, Harden and Jeremy Lin are not on the court for the Rockets, and Tony Douglas's abilities are relatively mediocre. On the contrary, Chandler Parsons has a sudden flash of inspiration and performs well in connecting the team's offense.
At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led 33:19.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Pistons replaced Stuckey, who had done a good job in psychological construction. In fact, he had some abilities.
Facing Delfino's defense, Stucky showed excellent athletic ability and shooting skills.
On the offensive end, the more he plays, the more confident he becomes. On the other hand, the Rockets' offense is out of power and they can only rely on Parsons' piecemeal scoring.
Four minutes into the second quarter, the Pistons went on a 12:5 spurt, and the score was approaching 38:31.
Seeing that the situation was not going well, McHale replaced Harden again.
Stucky was getting excited about fighting and felt that he was determined. When he looked back, the bearded man was back on the battlefield. His smile froze on the spot. Why did this guy come back so quickly?
Harden returns to the court to control the team's offensive rhythm. He is very familiar with this job. During the Thunder period, he was the one who made the decision in the transition period.
Dribbling slowly across half court, Stucky stayed close to the defense and never left.
There was no wave in Harden's eyes, as if he was sure of victory at the end of the game and wasted time by giving up the offense.
Seeing this, Stucky reached out tentatively to grab the ball. This was what Harden was waiting for. He took a hesitant step, then accelerated and instantly threw Stucky away and headed towards the basket.
Starkey was even trying to grab the ball, as if he had an invisible basketball in his hand and was about to launch a fast break.
Harden was too fast, and the Pistons' wings had no time to help defend. Only Drummond, who was guarding near the baseline, came over to defend. Drummond is tall and powerful, and has excellent confrontation ability. He doesn't look like a rookie at all.
Although Harden is 10 centimeters shorter in height, his confrontational ability is fully adequate. Facing Drummond's defense, Harden made a left-handed layup.
The ball goes in, the whistle blows, "And One!"
Teammates on the bench stood up and waved towels. Harden's expression was exaggerated, his arms were tense, his chest was puffed out, and he had a powerful look.
Drummond and Starkey looked at each other and could only smile bitterly. Harden today is unstoppable.
The free throws were made steadily, and the point difference returned to double digits.
In the next Pistons offensive round, his teammates chose to continue to believe in Stucky, but Taiziji didn't believe in himself anymore and hesitated after getting the ball.
Upon seeing this, Drummond came up to provide a pick-and-roll for Stucky. Stucky used the screen to get rid of Harden's pursuit and prepared to take off for a mid-range shot.
But the Rockets' backup center Motiejunas's feet were much faster than Asik's. After Stucky jumped up, he found a big white furry hand covering him.
He hesitated in the air, wanting to shoot and pass. Before he could figure it out, he was about to hit the ground. In a panic, he threw the ball to Drummond, who was about to grab an offensive rebound.
Poor Drummond was focused on the basket. Unexpectedly, the basketball that was supposed to come out of the basket did not appear, but hit him on the back of the head.
Drummond winced at the sudden blow. The five folds on his neck fully expressed his dissatisfaction with Tai Ziji. It was really intoxicating to be able to hit the back of his head with a shot.
Harden took advantage of the opportunity to catch the rebounded basketball and rushed forward.
He took two steps inside the free throw line and rounded his right arm.
"state!"
Tomahawk chop!
"Stuckey was too hesitant to play this ball. He didn't know what he was going to do before making the move. Jumping to pass is a taboo on the court. Harden's counterattack dunk is more than half of Stuckey's credit."
Su Qujie said.
Drummond looked puzzled and spread his hands.
The head coach of the Pistons was also stunned off the court. Watching Stuckey play, he was really speechless.
Seeing that he was about to collapse again, he could only call the third timeout.
After the timeout, no surprise, Stucky was replaced again. If he can't adjust back in this game, he will have to travel at a different time.
The main players of the two teams returned one after another, and the scene turned into the Pistons being beaten again.
The Pistons relied on Prince's air cuts and three-pointers to save some face.
The Rockets once again led the offense with Jeremy Lin, and the core of the team were all new players. The tactics were relatively simple and relied more on the personal abilities of the players.
Shuhao found Morris and Patterson who were left open several times through breakthroughs after pick-and-rolls. The two had strong hands and hit three-pointers one after another.
Harden can also find space through off-ball screens. His touch was really good today. In addition, Singler's ability to defend him is relatively mediocre. He gets everything he wants on the offensive end.
At the end of the half, the Rockets led 66:39, leading by 27 points.
It was originally a competition between rookies, but unexpectedly it turned out to be one-sided.
The home fans were very dissatisfied and booed. What's more, they left the stadium at halftime. Even looking at this game would only cause trouble for yourself.
Didn't the Pistons play well in the preseason?
The media also praised the Pistons' Nate-Monroe duo, saying that Detroit also had its own "OK combination". Only after fighting with real guns and guns did they find out, oh shit.
Some are happy and some are sad. The Rockets are in high spirits.
Both Harden and Jeremy Lin performed at their level, especially Harden, who made 9 of 13 shots in the half, including 3 of 5 three-pointers, and all 3 free throws, scoring 24 points.
In the studio, Yang Jian and Su Kui analyzed the half-time situation.
"Harden played so efficiently in the first half that it can be said to be impeccable. The Pistons coach needs to think of a way. Now it seems that relying on one person to defend Harden alone is giving away points."
Su Kui said.
"But if Harden is double-teamed, the rest of the Rockets are also in great shape. In the first half, Patterson and Morris scored 15 points each, and the two made a combined 8 of 12 three-pointers."
Yang Jian reminded.
"Yes, this is a problem, and the reason is that Harden is not only excellent at scoring, but also at playing the ball.
Double-teaming Harden can only limit his scoring, but forcing him to stop the ball and make a mistake is difficult to do with the Pistons' current defensive resources. "
Su Qu couldn't restrain his admiration for Harden in his words.
"Then what do you think, Teacher Su Kui, should we double-team?"
Yang Jian continued to inquire.
"Double-teaming is still necessary. If we don't double-team and let Harden continue to play like this, the game will probably be wasted by the end of the third quarter.
I think Jeremy Lin can be left open appropriately to test Jeremy Lin's shooting.
Jeremy Lin's desire to score in the first half was not strong, and it is still unknown how he feels in this game.
It's like choosing one of two glasses of water, one of poison and one of unknown. A smart person will definitely choose to try this unknown glass. "
Su Kui's analysis is very vivid.
