The Detroit Pistons' fourth-quarter rally remains insufficient compared to the Houston Rockets

Detroit – Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green faced each other for the third time since entering the league as the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of the 2021 NBA Draft.

They split their first two meetings, with Cunningham getting the best of his draftmate in their first meeting in November 2021. At the time, Alperen Sengun was an unknown prospect who the Rockets landed after selecting him with the No. 16 pick in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

All three players have since established themselves as cornerstones of their respective franchises. But on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesar Arena, Cunningham and Sengun were the focus of the draftmate duel, with the Pistons suffering a 101-99 loss to the Rockets. The Pistons lost their sixth straight game to Houston and fell to 4-7 on the season.

BOX score: Rockets 101, Pistons 99

Cunningham's triple-double run ended against the Rockets, but he still had another solid performance with 26 points on 10 of 21 shooting, nine assists and eight rebounds. He scored 12 points in the second quarter, leading to the Pistons' 45-43 halftime lead.

The Pistons' halftime lead came after a slow start. Detroit began the day shooting 1-for-8 from the field. The Rockets capitalized on their early struggles behind the play of Green and Sengun, leading to Houston taking an early 11-2 lead.

Green scored seven of his 15 points in the first four minutes. However, he spent the rest of the night shooting from the field, shooting 6 of 17 as Sengun led the Rockets with 27 points (11 of 16 FG) and 10 rebounds.

The game was a slugfest until Reed Sheppard's 3-point field goal gave the Rockets an 80-67 lead with 10:06 left in the fourth quarter. Houston appeared to be on the verge of taking control, but Detroit went on a 21-7 run over the next five minutes.

Tobias Harris' 1-1 fadeaway against Dillon Brooks gave the Pistons an 88-87 lead. A few possessions later, Cunningham completed a 1-1 attempt to give Detroit a 93-92 lead with 3:22 left. Green helped the Rockets regain control with a fadeaway jumper on Houston's next possession.

The Pistons and Rockets exchanged baskets in the final three minutes. Sengun dished out two free throws, giving Detroit a chance to tie the game. With Houston leading 101-98 with eight seconds left, the Rockets fouled Cunningham to score a game-winning triple. He intentionally separated the two and the ball was recovered by Jaden Ivey.

After Harris gained possession of the ball, he had a chance to decide the game at the foul line, but failed with his first attempt. Isaiah Stewart added 16 points and eight rebounds while Malik Beasley scored 15 points on 5 of 12 shooting.

The Pistons conclude their three-game homestand on Tuesday against the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. The game also marks the start of the NBA's 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. The Pistons will be part of East Group B, which will also feature contests against the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors.

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