For the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, Wednesday night was the most anticipated matchup of the season. The NBA doesn't typically place that much importance on a number one versus number two overall pick matchup. It's customary that they face off during NBA Summer League, but after that, public interest doesn't really carry over. However, this year was different for a whole host of reasons. Firstly, the number two overall pick, Jalen Green, openly believes he should have gone number one in the draft.

“I am the best player in the 2021 NBA Draft,” said Jalen Green back in late July. “I did [tell the Pistons] and I showed it in the workout too.”

This is just one of several instances that Green indicated he wanted to go number one in the draft. He also had some choice words for the city of Detroit after they passed up on him at number one. So it's safe to say that there was a lot of interest for this game, despite both Green and number one overall pick Cade Cunningham playing it down.

And the matchup was everything we could have hoped it would be as an NBA fan. Both Green and Cunningham were very aggressive offensively and seemed to take the matchup personally. There was actually a play where Green caught Cunningham sleeping on the weakside and drove baseline off the catch for an easy dunk. After doing this, Green shouted at Cunningham while running back down the court. He received a technical, but it was emblematic for how the two have approached these one-on-one matchups.

“It happened,” said Green on the incident after the Rockets-Pistons. “It's basketball at the end of the day. I don't remember exactly what I said. It was just the intensity of the game. I was getting fired up. Just trying to get a win. That's all.”

Green finished the game with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 8=of=20 shooting from the field, 3-of-11 shooting from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He was really aggressive about getting to the basket and it opened up the rest of this game. The worry with Green was that he seemed to only have good games when he was shooting the three-ball well, but this was probably his most balanced game of the season.

“I was just trying to let the game come to me,” said Jalen Green. “We were all moving the ball at the beginning of the game and getting everyone involved. That's what we were trying to do and I think we executed that. And then when I had shots, I just took 'em. When I had drives, I took 'em. My bigs set me up perfectly.”

As Green alluded to, 13 of Houston's first half 20 made field goals were assisted. As has been the case all season, Houston didn't move the ball as well in the second half which partly led to their collapse. Nevertheless, it was still a really entertaining game and the moment between Green and Cunningham will leave a lasting image if the two players become perennial all-stars.

“Nothing I heard tonight held any real weight,” said Cunningham on the moment. “It was all for the cameras, I thought.”

It would be great if this rivalry never dissipates because it does make for entertaining theater and adds to the basketball product. Cunningham will leave this round with the victory as well as 20 points 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. The Rockets travel to Detroit on December 18th for a rematch and it would be great if the two are battling it out in the Rookie of the Year race by that point.