After the first defeat of the Summer League 2K25 tournament, the Houston Rockets fall to the Pistons

LAS VEGAS — Whether it’s during the regular season or on a scorching summer afternoon in Las Vegas, back-to-back games are always going to be brutal for NBA players.

The Houston Rockets lost their first game of the 2K25 Summer League tournament, 87-73, to the Detroit Pistons at the Thomas & Mack Center on Monday night. The game marked Houston’s worst performance in Las Vegas in the previous two years.

The Rockets shot 29.4 percent from beyond the arc as a team and missed 24 of 34 three-point attempts. Reed Sheppard only attempted two three-pointers due to the Pistons’ physical defense. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting, 0-of-2 from three-point range, four rebounds and three steals in the loss.

“We started the game flat,” coach Garrett Jackson said. “We were flat from the beginning. From the beginning, I felt like we weren’t playing well, and I looked up and realized it was a close game.

“They (the Pistons) did a really good job of blocking or breaking down screens, but they did it not only on the sidelines, but more in the middle of the court. And I think that bothered us a little bit. I don’t think we did a good job of attacking that.”

The Rockets were able to match Detroit’s physical power for a while thanks to Orlando Robinson’s production. With 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Robinson played a key role in Houston’s 64-63 lead early in the fourth quarter. However, the Pistons found their defensive intensity again, allowing Detroit to outscore Houston 25-9 in the final period.

Daniss Jenkins led the charge for the Pistons with 26 points on 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Former University of Houston prospect Marcus Sasser added 11 points, eight assists and two steals in the win.

Despite the loss, AJ Griffin had his best game of the Summer League tournament. He added 18 points, five rebounds and a team-best one block. Nate Williams had a double-double of 14 points and 10 blocks in the loss.

Cam Whitmore in difficulty against the Pistons:

Reigning Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore had his worst performance in Las Vegas since the Rockets selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Whitmore scored five points on 1-of-15 shooting and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Whitmore’s poor play came 24 hours after one of his best performances of the Summer League against the Washington Wizards, where he exploded for 25 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists in the victory.

“I would say a combination of dead legs; I also thought the ball wasn’t moving as well as in other games,” Jackson said.

“I insisted that if the ball came from one side of the field, you had to move it to the other side and play a second action, then a third. Often, when the ball was thrown to the other side, it came right back to where it came from, on a crowded side. So I would like to see us play more space and more together.”

Following:

The Rockets will continue their Summer League tournament against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. CDT at the Thomas & Mack Center.