Coming off a grinding double-overtime loss against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder from Tuesday’s regular season opener, the Houston Rockets got two days of rest as they headed back to the Space City for their first home game.
But playing right in front of the jam-packed Toyota Center crowd for the first time this year didn’t offer wonders for the Rockets this Friday night, enduring a tough 115-111 loss against the Detroit Pistons.
The contest between two teams was highly physical, and the Rockets couldn’t match up the intensity of the visitors. They couldn’t get the job done down the stretch as they’ll remain winless to start the new 2025-26 season.
Houston was suffocated by the intense defense of Detroit with an inconsistent 38.6 percent shooting from the field. As such, the team’s shot creation and point guard problems was glaring already as the Rockets only tallied 15 assists over the Pistons’ 26.
Here are the main takeaways of the Rockets’ second consecutive loss:
Oct 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up before the game against the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Kevin Durant had a disappointing Rockets debut against OKC, but he was able to redeem himself this time. The new Rockets superstar obtained the biggest cheers from the home crowd and went on to produce a solid night, finishing with a game-high 37 points across 28 minutes.
Yet, unfortunately, he was the only one who decided to show up for the Rockets against the Pistons. He singlehandedly carried the group’s offense with his jumpers and finishes.
It was a great night of showing for Durant in front of the Rockets fanbase, but he had no help to close out the match over the Pistons.
Oct 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) and center Alperen Sengun (28) react after a play during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Following a major performance in the Rockets’ season debut, Alperen Sengun eventually offered a disappointing display against the Pistons.
Sengun had 17 points, seven boards and seven assists, but his shooting numbers are abysmal. He shot 5-of-18 from the field and was visibly frustrated throughout the entire night as he couldn’t generate shots and secure some foul calls.
Similar observations can be made for Jabari Smith Jr., as the Rockets forward demonstrated an off-night shooting by going 3-of-14 from the field en route to an awful 11-point outing.
Detroit placed a good defensive plan in containing both Sengun and Smith Jr., despite the early exit of their defensive anchor Jalen Duren due to a flagrant call in the first half.
Beyond Durant, it was just Josh Okogie who served as one of the lone bright spots of the Rockets on this game.
With Amen Thompson still not fully healed from the calf injury he sustained against OKC, Okogie stepped up off the bench to help the Rockets against the Pistons. The veteran forward finished with 10 points in 3-4 shooting and four boards across 17 serviceable minutes.