Rockets 105, Pistons 96: James Harden racked up 37 points and a career-high 12 assists in his Houston debut and Carlos Delfino hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the visiting Rockets rally past Detroit in the season opener for both teams.
Harden and Delfino (15 points) led six Houston players in double figures, as Jeremy Lin added 12 points and eight assists in his Rockets' debut, Omer Asik (12 points, nine rebounds) and Chandler Parsons (11 points, seven rebounds) flirted with double-doubles and Greg Smith had 10 points and five rebounds.
The Pistons took an 81-72 advantage into the fourth quarter and led by as many as 11 before Houston reeled off a 25-6 run to take control.
Harden, who was acquired from Oklahoma City on Saturday, showed why the Rockets gave up so much to get him just a few hours after agreeing to a five-year, $80 million contract extension. His 10th and 11th assists were big ones, as he fed Delfino for consecutive 3-pointers that put Houston ahead 97-89 with 4:45 left.
Brandon Knight scored 15 to lead Detroit, and Greg Monroe added 14 points and eight rebounds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden topped 30 points for the fourth time in his career. … The game was delayed briefly with less than a minute remaining in the half when a smoke machine malfunctioned and began spewing smoke on the baseline. … The Rockets remain on the road Friday at Atlanta, while the Pistons travel to Phoenix to begin a six-game road trip.
Houston | Detroit | |
James Harden 37 | Scoring | Brandon Knight 15 |
James Harden 12 | Assists | Rodney Stuckey 6 |
Omer Asik 9 | Rebounds | Jason Maxiell 8 |
James Harden 5 | Free Throws Made | Rodney Stuckey 7 |
James Harden 4 | Steals | Greg Monroe 3 |
Omer Asik 2 | Blocks | Jason Maxiell 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Houston | 105 | 49.4 | 10-27 | 17-23 | 28 | 45 | 3 | 12 | 20 |
Detroit | 96 | 44.3 | 6-16 | 20-26 | 21 | 36 | 4 | 12 | 16 |