Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - James Harden scored 20 points and Omer Asik added 14 points and eight rebounds, as the Houston Rockets crushed the winless Detroit Pistons, 96-82, at Toyota Center.

Marcus Morris and fellow reserve Toney Douglas chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Rockets, who snapped a three-game slide and won their first home game of the young season.

Kelvin Sampson served as Houston's head coach after Kevin McHale took a leave of absence from the team to attend to a personal family matter.

The Pistons, who nearly went a full 12 minutes without making a field goal in the second half, fell to 0-7 for the first time since the 1980-81 campaign. Greg Monroe recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Knight netted a team-high 16 points in defeat.

Detroit was within four, 60-56, midway through the third quarter but only managed one free throw the final 5:28.

Harden converted a three-point play to start the quarter-ending 12-1 run, then hit a 3-pointer after Chandler Parsons also made one from behind the arc.

Detroit's first successful field goal of the fourth came on a Knight jumper with 6:03 to play, but by that time Houston's advantage ballooned to 82-57 and the Rockets cruised from there.

The Rockets scored the final eight points of the opening quarter to build a 20-15 lead and were in front by as many as 16 in the second.

The highlight of the frame came when Terrance Jones set up a fastbreak by blocking a driving Rodney Stuckey. Harden and Jeremy Lin executed a perfect give-and-go in transition, with the former throwing down a monster two-handed slam for a 43-27 cushion with 4:06 remaining in the half.

The Pistons rallied with nine consecutive points to end the half, pulling within 47-41 on Monroe's buzzer-beating layup.

Game Notes

The Rockets have won five straight meetings ... Lin totaled seven points and eight assists ... Houston had 16 more points in the paint (44-28) ... The Pistons head home after their six-game road trip and face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday ... The Rockets host the Miami Heat on Monday.