Rockets 118, Pistons 110: Terrence Jones led a balanced attack with 22 points and 10 rebounds as host Houston started fast and held on.

James Harden collected 20 points and 12 assists for the Rockets, who improved to 12-0 at home against Eastern Conference teams and won for the 11th time in 13 games overall. Patrick Beverley tallied 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and Dwight Howard had 17 points and eight boards.

Rodney Stuckey came off the bench to lead Detroit with 23 points while Josh Smith added 21. Andre Drummond finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds and Greg Monroe had 10 points and 14 boards for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight.

It had the look of a blowout early after the Rockets made eight straight shots en route to a 23-6 lead five minutes in. Harden capped the quarter with a basket to make it 41-20 and the lead ballooned to 69-44 on Jones' basket in the closing moments of the first half.

Detroit managed to crawl within 13 points late in the third and Drummond capped a 7-0 burst early in the fourth that cut Houston's lead down to 102-91. Beverley replied with a 3-pointer and then hit two more on consecutive possessions to make it a 113-97 margin with four minutes to go, more than enough to withstand one last Pistons push.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rockets F Chandler Parsons sat due to an illness. ... Houston has won seven straight meetings and eight in a row at home. ... PG Brandon Jennings had 11 points and eight assists for the Pistons, while F Omri Casspi chipped in off the bench for the Rockets with 16 points in 15 minutes.