Houston @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 7, 2017 ) Detroit 114, Houston 109

Gerald Green put on an unprecedented two-game, long-range shooting show in franchise history and has apparently landed a gig with the Houston Rockets for the rest of the season. Green made 15 3-pointers in the past two games, and the Rockets are preparing to sign him for the rest of the campaign, as they enter Saturday's game against the host Detroit Pistons.

Green was signed by the Rockets on Dec. 28 and has immediately fit in, and the loss of star guard James Harden (hamstring) for probably the rest of the month has made him a coveted player. The 31-year-old scored 27 points and made seven 3-pointers in Wednesday's victory over the Orlando Magic and followed up with 29 points while matching his career-best of eight 3-pointers in Thursday's loss to the Golden State Warriors. "No team wanted me, man. No team wanted me, no team wanted me," Green repeated to reporters after Thursday's contest. "No overseas team. Not even a (G)-League team. So this is the only team that took a chance on me." The Pistons have dropped three of their past four games and were walloped 114-78 by the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T Sports Net Southwest (Houston), FSN Detroit

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (27-10): Green is the first player in franchise history to make seven or more 3-pointers in back-to-back games, and coach Mike D'Antoni couldn't be more pleased with the team's good fortune. "Thank goodness we got him," D'Antoni told reporters. "He's been really good. He's not just good. It's not like, 'Oh, this is nice.' He's been really good." Shooting guard Eric Gordon has moved into the starting lineup with Harden sidelined and he scored 30 points against the Warriors for his second-highest scoring output of the campaign.

ABOUT THE PISTONS (20-17): Coach Stan Van Gundy was exasperated over a 30-point halftime deficit as his team put up little fight against the 76ers. "We got totally dominated the entire night, it was very tough," Van Gundy said afterward. "We didn’t have a good two-minute stretch in the entire game." Center Andre Drummond (rib) returned after a one-game absence but noticeably struggled while recording 10 points and eight rebounds and said he expects to play against Houston.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pistons have won four of the past six meetings.

2. Detroit SG Avery Bradley is 8-of-27 shooting the past two games after missing the previous seven due to a groin injury.

3. Houston waived journeyman G Bobby Brown so it now has the opportunity to sign Green to a deal through the rest of the season prior to Sunday's deadline.

PREDICTION: Rockets 116, Pistons 109