HOUSTON (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 21 points and made two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to help the Detroit Pistons hold on and beat the Houston Rockets 115-111 on Friday night.
Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff earned his 300th career win, making him and his father Bernie Bickerstaff (419) the first father-son duo in NBA history to each reach 300 career wins.
Paul Reed's layup made it 113-110 before Houston cut the lead to two when Alperen Sengun made 1 of 2 free throws with 1:32 left.
Both teams missed 3-point attempts before Detroit's Ausar Thompson missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left and Reed blocked Sengun's shot in the lane with 16.4 seconds left.
Houston was forced to foul and Cunningham made both free throws to make it 115–111 and give the Pistons their first win of the season after they lost to Chicago in the opener.
Thompson scored 19 points for Detroit, surpassing Amen Thompson, Houston's twin brother, who finished with 10 points.
Kevin Durant scored 37 points for the Rockets and shot 16 of 18 from the free throw line. He was 3 of 3 from 3-point range after missing all four of his long-range shots Tuesday in his first game with the Rockets since this summer's blockbuster with Phoenix.
The Pistons led by 5 on Cunningham's 3-pointer with 8 1/2 minutes left before Durant scored all of Houston's points in an 8-3 run to tie the game at 101, all midway through the quarter.
The Rockets trailed by 3 with five minutes left when Durant tied the game at 105 with a 3-pointer.
Detroit used a 6-0 run to take a 111-105 lead with three minutes remaining. Jabari Smith Jr. then hit a 3-pointer for Houston and Durant made a pair of free throws to bring Houston within 1 with less than two minutes left.
Next
Pistons: Host Boston on Sunday.
Rockets: Host Brooklyn on Monday night.
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