(SportsRadio 610) - The top two picks in this year's NBA Draft met in a regular season game for the first time Wednesday night at Toyota Center and it did not come without drama.
Cade Cunningham, Detroit’s choice as the No. 1 pick, had 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Houston’s Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick, had 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting.
The Pistons beat the Rockets 112-104.
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Green, with Cunningham guarding him, drove baseline for a two-handed dunk midway through the third quarter and appeared to shout something at Cunningham. He received a technical foul.
“I don’t remember exactly what I said,” Green said after the game. “It was just the intensity of the game. I was getting fired up.”
Cunningham downplayed the incident with Green, suggesting his rookie counterpart was simply playing up the moment for the cameras. The game was broadcast nationally on ESPN.
“Nothing that I heard tonight held any weight to me — it was just all for cameras, I felt like,” Cunningham said. “So, I wasn’t really tripping. I was just trying to play the game.”
These two figure to battle for years to come. Green is still just 19 years old. Cunningham turned 20 in September.
Cunningham has played in only five games due to an ankle injury. He's averaging 12.6 point, but shooting a rough 28.4 percent from the field. Green is averaging 14.5 points and shooting 35.9 percent from the field in 11 games.
While Cunningham was widely considered the top draft prospect following his lone season at Oklahoma State, Green always thought he should be taken No. 1 overall, though he later admitted he did not want to go to Detroit.