The Rockets (27-11) lost their second consecutive game and seventh of nine overall with a 108-101 defeat on Saturday night against the Pistons (21-17) in Detroit. - After scoring 37 points in the first quarter, Houston seemed to run out of steam in the second half with just 43 points in both quarters combined — and 17 of those 43 came in the final four minutes, when the game had already effectively been decided and Detroit eased its defensive intensity. - Chris Paul led the way for Houston with 16 points (5-of-10 FG), 13 assists, and 7 rebounds, but four of his 10 attempts came in the aforementioned closing stretch. - Sunday's postgame Locked on Rockets recap explores all the key storylines, including the need for Paul to be a more assertive scorer in the absence of James Harden, continued inconsistencies across the board on defense, and a another nightmarish showing from Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, and P.J. Tucker from behind the arc (4-of-19 combined). Listen in: - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices