The Detroit Pistons needed effort all the way down their bench Friday night against the Houston Rockets.
With three players absent due to injury, another getting ejected in the first half and two more fouling out in the fourth quarter, the Pistons required someone to step up in a contentious game with the Rockets.
They got that help from backup center Paul Reed, who averaged 10 minutes off the bench last season for the Pistons.
In 20 minutes for Detroit, Reed scored 13 second-half points, adding nine rebounds, two blocks and an assist in the Pistons’ 115-111 victory over the Rockets for the first win of the season.
“I come in every day, put the work in and prepare for opportunities like tonight so I can go out there and make sure there’s no drop off when I’m on the court and my guys can depend on me,” Reed told the Pistons broadcast postgame.
The matchup in Houston was defined by its physicality and the slow pace put on by a series of reviews in the first half.
For the second straight game, the Pistons (1-1) dealt with foul trouble early as Ausar Thompson picked up a pair in the first 90 seconds. Luckily for the Pistons, Ron Holland came on and provided a spark with six points and four rebounds in the first quarter alone.
Duncan Robinson got hot with a pair of threes and rookie Chaz Lanier splashed in his NBA debut with a deep make, as well.
Proceedings began to devolve as Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. were called for dueling technical fouls after going back and forth with some shoving while chasing for a loose ball.
Things really came to a head when Pistons center Jalen Duren and Rockets forward Amen Thompson — the twin brother of Ausar — had a pair of altercations in the second quarter that resulted in Duren being ejected.
Daniss Jenkins dished a pass to Duren in the paint and Thompson chose to give a hard foul before Duren could go up for a shot. With his hands still wrapped around Duren, the center shoved Thompson away and was assessed a technical.
Back on the other end of the court, Duren caught Thompson with an elbow to the face that was designated a Flagrant 2 and caused an instant ejection.
Outside of Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Cade Cunningham, Robinson and Holland all got into foul trouble in the first half with the veteran forward picking up four and the latter three each being tagged for three.
Thanks to the strong play from Robinson on the perimeter — four three-pointers — and Thompson scoring eight points in the final three minutes of the first half, the Pistons still led 63-56 at halftime.
The foul troubles didn’t stop in the second half as Stewart and Holland picked up their fifth fouls in the third and sixth midway through the fourth, limiting a lot of the size for the Pistons down the stretch.
Reed put in some quality minutes in their stead, scoring a team-high seven points in the third quarter to go with three rebounds, an assist and a block.
A late bucket from Robinson — who finished with 17 points — kept the Pistons ahead 87-86 going into the final 12 minutes.
The Rockets and Pistons fought back-and-forth the entire night thanks in large part to a 37-point performance from Kevin Durant and the 37 fouls shots Houston made on 48 attempts.
The Pistons had their own star to keep things close as Cunningham scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. He also had nine assists and seven rebounds to try and offset his eight turnovers on the night.
It was the sixth-year center, Reed, who made the crucial plays in the end as he converted a fearless driving layup over Smith and Thompson for the go-ahead basket in the final two minutes.
And in the final key defensive possession, Reed delivered a block on Alperen Şengün’s attempted game-tying shot.
“Hardest-working dude I ever met, off the court and on the court,” Thompson, who scored 19 points, said. “I’m not surprised any night he does this.”
The win not only marked the first of the season for Detroit, but also the 300th regular-season win in the career of coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
BOX SCORE
Up next: The Pistons debut at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, taking on the Boston Celtics in their first home game of the season.
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