Durant scored 37 points on 18 free throws, and the Rockets lost two consecutive games! Shepard was unable to be reused, and Amen was also in a slump.

On October 25, the NBA regular season ushered in a key battle. The Rockets faced the Pistons at home. In the first game of the season, the Rockets lost to the Thunder in double overtime. Durant lasted 47 minutes and left the game with six fouls. Although the loss did not have much to do with him, he still took responsibility and believed that it was his poor performance. The battle with the Thunder revealed that the most acute problem of the Rockets is that there are people who are organizing but no one is linking up. With 23 assists and 22 turnovers, it is difficult to win. The Pistons unexpectedly lost to the Bulls in the first game of the regular season, trailing the Bulls by 23 points during the game. According to US media predictions, the Pistons are also strong contenders for the top four in the Eastern Conference in the new season, and they also need to perform better. Before the game, US media revealed that Van Jordan had appeared at the Rockets training ground without wearing protective gear.

A brief review of the game. Durant and Amen took turns drawing fouls in the opening game. Shen Jing fed Adams and took off vertically to hit the basket with one arm. Cunningham and Harris rained three-pointers, and Horan and Durant soared three-pointers against each other. In the second half, Duren made a back-up dunk and Dun Luo suddenly started to rain three-pointers to widen the point difference. At the critical moment, Durant singled out, and Xiaojia finally hit a three-pointer. The Rockets temporarily led by 1 point in the first quarter. Entering the second quarter, Okogie's three-pointer was unexpected. Harris and Cunningham blossomed inside and outside. The Rockets also received a technical foul because of six players. The Pistons' high-pressure defense left the Rockets players at a loss. The Rockets had no three-pointers and no players who could deliver shells to their teammates. They basically fought on their own.

At the end of the quarter, the Pistons' Osar Thompson scored consecutively. Fortunately, Durant withstood the pressure and Shepard also responded with a three-pointer. The Rockets were still 7 points behind the Pistons at halftime. Back in the second half, Shen Jing and Durant made buzzer-beating jumpers one after another, Reed and Osar fired continuously from the outside, Durant fed Shen Jing and threw a three-pointer from the outside, Okoji found Adams + counterattacked from the bottom line and sprinted to the lever for a reverse layup. The Rockets finally tied! Okogie continued to throw in the middle, and Amen finally hit a layup. With Ethan's counterattack, the Rockets took a 6-point lead. But at the end of the quarter, the Pistons had a 7-0 spurt, and Uduka also suffered a technical foul. Although Shepard has a good three-point touch, he loses the most points on the court. In the fourth quarter of the decisive battle, Sheppard scored a three-pointer, and Amen used the screen to accelerate the pull-up layup.

In the middle of the game, Cunningham and Jawante Green suddenly rained three-pointers. Shen Jing counterattacked and dunked. Durant made a pull-up jumper and drew a foul. The Pistons showed a tendency to bloom in many points. The Rockets basically relied on Durant to support the situation. In the last 4 minutes, Shen Jing was accidentally hit in the groin, Cunningham flew for a layup, and Xiao Jia made a three-pointer to extend his life! After that, Durant continued to make free throws. In the last minute of the game, Cunningham caused a foul and made two free throws to widen the 4-point gap. In the Rockets' last attack, Amen hit a three-pointer. In the end, the Rockets lost to the Pistons 111-115 and suffered a two-game losing streak!

Pistons data, Orsar Thompson had 19 points and 4 assists, Cunningham had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 8 turnovers, Dunro had 17 points, 3 blocks and 3 rebounds, Horan had 11 points and 5 rebounds, Reed had 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Harris had 9 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Rockets data, Durant made 16 of 18 free throws, scored 37 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals, Amen had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, Adams had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals, Shen Jing had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, Jabari Smith had 11 points and 6 rebounds, Okogie had 10 points and 4 rebounds, and Shepard had 9 points and 3 steals. The Rockets had only 15 assists and 13 turnovers. They still couldn't win.

Putting aside the victory or defeat, it is really impossible for the Rockets to play like this! First of all, Durant's burden is too heavy. When he came to the Rockets, many media believed that he was only responsible for solving critical moments and key games, while assisting young people to grow. But in these two fierce battles, Durant became the Rockets' guarantee. Amen had an impact at the 1st position, but compared to the preseason, his shooting dropped significantly, and there were more mistakes and fouls. He could not afford so much ball rights for the time being, and was positioned more like an auxiliary organizer. Shen Jing felt hot when playing against the Thunder and made many mistakes in this game. Facing the Pistons' hand-to-hand confrontation, Shen Jing was obviously unable to adapt. As for Sheppard, he makes many mistakes, can't guard people, and doesn't like to pass the ball, but if he keeps playing like this, there will be no lower limit for the Rockets.

The best performers for the Rockets were Durant and Okogie, who earned a minimum salary. After Okogie came on the court, he continued to attack and cause damage in the third quarter, including rushing for rebounds, driving the team's rhythm. The top priority is that the team urgently needs Finney Smith to come back as soon as possible. Shepard won't pass the ball unless he's in a desperate situation on the offensive end, and his sinkhole attributes on the defensive end make it more difficult for his teammates. How many times will it take to develop his organizational attributes? The Rockets need a guard to sort out the team, but Sheppard is definitely not the right candidate. If the game continues like this, Durant will be tired and injured in a short time. I seem to have seen this script before.