Cade Cunningham and Amen Thompson are set to square off in this evening’s League Pass of the Day.
The Detroit Pistons travel to Houston for a Friday night battle between Eastern and Western conference foes, with both teams looking to get their first win of the season.
Here are five things to know ahead of tip-off (8 ET, League Pass).
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The next great big man is here: If you weren’t familiar with Alperen Şengün’s game, you should be now. After making his first All-Star team last season, the Turkish big man is all set to take his game to the next level. Tuesday night, that was made abundantly clear when Şengün dropped 39 points on the Thunder, including making 5 of his 8 3-point attempts, while adding 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
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There’s a potential MVP candidate on the other side, too: Cade Cunningham made Third Team All-NBA last season and finished tied for the 7th in the league’s Kia MVP voting. Looking to capitalize on his breakout campaign, the 24-year-old will be working to rebound from a tough start to the season, which saw him shoot just 8-for-24 in a loss to the Bulls on Wednesday night.
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Twins square off: Two of the most dynamic players in the league, who also happen to be twins, Amen and Ausar Thompson, will go head-to-head for the fourth time in their NBA careers. Amen, and the Rockets have got the better of Ausar and the Pistons in two of three previous matchups, so Detroit will be looking to even the score. Each of the Thompson’s are a highlight waiting to happen, and having two on the court at the same time could take the electricity in the building to off-the-chart levels.
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Looking for that first win: This is only the second game for each squad, but no team wants to wait to get their first W of the season. The Rockets fell in double overtime to the reigning champion Thunder, 125-124, in Oklahoma City, while the Pistons were slow out of the gates in Chicago, and couldn’t catch up, falling 115-111 to the Bulls.
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Getting the new additions going in Detroit: A key part of Cunningham and the Pistons’ breakout last season was the arrival of veteran shooters. However, those players have been replaced this season by Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert, who combined to shoot 1-for-8 from distance and scored a combined 10 points Wednesday. For the Pistons to have similar success, or exceed it this season, they’ll need Robinson and LeVert to make a greater impact.
