Today's battle between the Pistons and rockets is the first showdown between the 2021 champions and the eye of the list. As a result, the Pistons won 112-104 on the road to the Rockets, and Kaider Cunningham laughed to the end, winning the first matchup with Jaylen Green.
Before this game, the NBA official website announced the latest issue of the rookie list. Cunningham, who was not in the top 10 of the rookie list last week, rose to No. 7, while Green, who was no. 7 last week, rose to No. 6. Bookmakers are betting on the NBA's best rookie odds of the season, with Green in second place behind Evan Mobley, Scotty Barnes in third place and Cunningham in Fourth.
Before the game, Rockets coach Silas Jr. talked about the two young players, saying that both of them work hard and have physical heights. Cunningham is a great organizer who can tie up the whole team, while Green's mentality and play are stable.
At half-time, both were 4 of 9, and the performance was equal. In the third quarter, after Green received a pass from his teammate on the sideline, he faced Cunningham who pounced on him, and he flashed directly into the inside line, burst the opponent, and roared at Cunningham after landing, resulting in a technical foul.
In the end, Cunningham laughed to the end. He played 30 minutes and shot 8-of-18, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals; Green played 38 minutes and shot 8-of-20, including 3-of-11 three-pointers, with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Green was pinned to the bench at a critical moment. After the game, Green said he didn't mind this, after all, he was still a rookie. Speaking about yelling at Cunningham after the dunk, Green said it was also part of the game, he couldn't remember what he said during the game, he was just emotionally ignited in the heat of the game.
According to ESPN, Cunningham and Green became the first rookie to pick the top 2 picks of the same tournament since Duncan and Van Horn in 1998, and both scored 20+ in the first meeting of their careers. In the 1997 draft, Duncan was selected by the Spurs as the winner, and Van Horn was selected by the Nets with the second pick.
On January 19, 1998, the Nets won 95-84 at home to the Spurs, with Duncan and Van Horn meeting for the first time. Duncan shot 10-of-17 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line, with 24 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks; Van Horn shot 7-of-30, including 3-of-10 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line, with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Today's game is undoubtedly just an ordinary game, but it may also kick off the confrontation between the two enemies of a lifetime. (Supine Braces/Hairy)