Houston 96, Detroit 82

Rockets 96, Pistons 82: James Harden scored 20 points and Omer Asik added 14 as host Houston defeated Detroit, which matched the worst start in franchise history with its seventh consecutive defeat.

The Rockets snapped a three-game losing streak despite being without coach Kevin McHale, who took a leave of absence earlier Saturday due to a family matter. Assistant Kelvin Sampson will serve as coach until McHale returns.

Brandon Knight scored 16 points, Tayshaun Prince tallied 13 and Greg Monroe had 12 and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who also started 0-7 during the 1962-63 and 1980-81 seasons. Detroit wrapped up a six-game road trip with Saturday’s loss.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but narrowed their deficit to 60-56 on Prince’s basket with 5:28 left in the third quarter. Detroit then went nearly 11 1/2 minutes without a field goal and Houston went on a 22-1 run to take a 25-point lead with 6:18 remaining.

Marcus Morris added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Rockets.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden is averaging 28.5 points in two games against Detroit this season. … Prince has 9,393 career points, matching Grant Hill for eighth place in Pistons history. … Asik had eight rebounds to end a streak of four consecutive games with 13 or more boards.

• Houston will play their next game at home against Miami. The Rockets have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .333 after a loss.
• Detroit will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Pistons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.