Tonight the Houston Rockets will face off against the Detroit Pistons in Houston. 

When: Friday, October 24 @ 7PM CT

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Where to watch:

Fubo (with subscription)

NBA League Pass (with subscription)

Subject to local blackouts.

Both teams have 0-1 records after Opening Night. 

The Detroit Pistons made the comeback of the season last year, going from a 14-68 record in the 2022-2023 to making NBA history by tripling that in the 2024-2025 season, finishing out at 44-38. Last year, the Pistons overhauled their coaching staff and hired head coach J .B. Bickerstaff from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and drafted young talent like fifth overall pick forward Ron Holland II. 

Though Detroit lost 115-120 to the Chicago Bulls Opening NIght, the team as a whole looked sharper and more organized than the erratic young team they had in 2023, and they made a major comeback in the second half. If they can keep that rhythm tonight, they may have a chance against Houston. 

The Pistons should prove to be much less of a threat than the defending champions, so the Rockets are favored on FanDuel , as of now, -255 with the Pistons line at +210. The spread is -6.5 Houston and the over/under stands at 226.5. 

Odds are subject to change.

Like the Rockets, the Pistons have a large frontcourt, so they could pull through by manipulating Houston’s perimeter defensive weaknesses and draw fouls at will. 

The Rockets lost by one point to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday 124-125 in an edge-of-your-seat, double overtime season opener. 

While analysts predicted the Thunder’s smaller and more experienced team would dominate Houston, the Rockets hung in there. The squad forced 22 turnovers, keeping the game scores close the whole time, with Houston leading by at least one point at the end of the first three quarters. 

Since it worked Opening Night’s game against the Thunder, Udoka will likely stick with his “go big” strategy, keeping his larger players on the court for much of the game and run the point-guard-by-committee drill on the offense to keep the pace chaotic and unpredictable. 

While the Rockets exhibited chemistry and rhythm worked for the most part, the defense loosened up in the second half, allowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to drive through them to the paint and keep the score just about even. 

If the Rockets are able to channel consistency tonight and tighten the perimeter defense, they may be able to shut down the Pistons’ front court. 

Both teams are hungry for their first win of the season, so it could go either way. While Houston will utilize its size and tempo, Detroit’s discipline and structure could upset Houston’s strategy. The odds of them defeating could be higher than projected.