HOUSTON — After a 22-win season in 2022-23, the Houston Rockets spent big money in the offseason. Much of it went to 2022 All-Star Fred VanVleet, who inked a three-year deal worth $130 million. They also fortified their wing depth, bringing in Dillon Brooks to give the team a lift on defense and Jeff Green to add versatility and experience in the locker room.

Houston’s young players also grew up. This year’s iteration of the Rockets is a completely different team. The Detroit Pistons witnessed it firsthand on Monday.

Even without Brooks, Houston dominated the third quarter en route to a 136-113 blowout win over the Pistons, who fell to 3-30. The Rockets, who were in the NBA’s basement alongside the Pistons for several seasons, are now 16-15 and in the thick of the playoff race.

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The Pistons have been battered nightly because of their inexperience, lack of depth and just plain poor effort and execution. They trailed by four at halftime Monday night, then gave up 47 points in the third quarter.

An off night for Cade Cunningham also hurt Detroit’s ability to compete. He shot just 3-for-16 after a hot two-week stretch, and the Pistons were unable to lock down defensively to pick up the slack.

After snapping a historic 28-game losing streak with a win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, they pledged a new start. It’s a new year, but the old problems are still there for the Pistons.

They scored 47 points in the third quarter,” Jaden Ivey said, shaking his head. “That was the ball game right there. Comes down to pride. Really, that was really embarrassing on our end. The turnovers, they scored a lot on our turnovers, and that’s the ball game. Coming down, getting stops in the third quarter, that’s what won them the game.”

Detroit had its usual struggles — 17 turnovers (off which Houston scored 33 points), poor shot-making in key moments (Houston opened the third with a 40-15 run before Detroit’s offense finally perked up) and weak defense. Houston shot 56% overall and had 19 assists against nine turnovers.

Saturday took the spotlight off of a Pistons team that garnered national attention in going nearly two months without a victory. But their struggles haven’t changed. After the game, head coach Monty Williams and players questioned why the team lacked fight. They looked hapless as the Rockets splashed 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the third period.

It’s a question that doesn’t have a satisfactory answer. The entire team is aware of it. They haven’t been able to fix it.

“We’re one of the youngest teams in the league, so no one should outwork us, ever,” Bojan Bogdanovic said. “That’s what happened tonight. They outran us, outworked us and that’s gotta stop. We’ve gotta be better. Our will’s gotta be way higher than it was today in the third quarter.”

Perhaps the team had an emotional letdown after a victory that noticeably lifted the mood of the locker room. But with just three wins this season, they can’t afford those. Monday was the first of a four-game West Coast swing that includes the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.

The Pistons and Rockets once appeared to be on similar timelines. Not any more. Cunningham’s struggles were contrasted by standout games from two members — Alperen Sengun (26 points, nine assists) and Jalen Green (22 points, five rebounds) — of his draft class . That’s not a knock on Cunningham, who entered the game averaging 31.4 points, 7.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 55.5% shooting in his previous seven games.

But Monday was another night that highlighted the Pistons’ depth issues. Their numbers, overall, weren't bad. Alec Burks chipped in 21 points off of the bench, and Ivey (19 points, six rebounds) and Jalen Duren (12 points, 13 rebounds) both shined. But the team lacks defensive stoppers, as well as ball-handlers who can keep the offense afloat when Cunningham checks out. Up front, Duren is their only healthy center who is a difference-maker on defense.

“It happens,” Williams said of Cunningham’s game. “He’s going to be the guy that carries us. That part happens. I’m OK with him having a night like that. I’m more concerned with the defensive side of the ball. The number of times guys just drove by us and got to the basket. And then we turned it over. That’s a lot of points to give up off of turnovers, in any game. Cade has carried us every night. One, we have to take care of the ball. Two, when he is struggling like that we have to be able to defend, to cover when your best player’s not having a normal night for him.”

A long list of problems have brought the Pistons to this point. At least one of the solutions is pretty straightforward, at least.

“It comes down to pride,” Ivey said. “It comes down to all the pain that we felt this year. This is painful. This is painful to go through. We’re in a season where we’re just losing a ton of games, and now it just comes down to pride at the end of the day.

“Every single moment you step out on the floor, what can you do to help the team, defensively and offensively? As far as what they did in the third quarter, they were coming down and scoring. That’s why we gotta wall up and trust the ball. It comes down to more pride. We didn’t have that tonight, and now we have to look ourselves in the mirror, every single one of us, and take more pride.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

Check out "The Pistons Pulse", your go-to weekly Detroit Pistons podcast, co-hosted by Omari available anywhere you listen (Apple, Spotify).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' rebuild shamed by Houston Rockets' success