Jeremy Lin, James Harden Effective Enough to Beat Hopeless Pistons

Jeremy Lin, James Harden and the rest of the Houston Rockets played well enough to win 96-82 at home against a Detroit Pistons team that is majorly struggling. The two star guards were productive enough, though not dominant, in a victory that brings the Rockets back to .500.

As for the Pistons, they may be early favorites to be the worst team in the NBA this year. Here are the points of note from the game. 

Lin Efficient Without Shooting Well

Point guard Jeremy Lin had a weak shooting line—2-of-7 for 7 points. However, his eight assists to zero turnovers made up for that. He continues to operate well within the Rockets offense and find open players.

Despite his inability to score, he was able to keep the ball moving for Houston. The Rockets were plus-three during the relatively short 26 minutes he played. 

Omer Asik Earning His Job

Former second-round pick Omer Asik had only two starts to his name coming into this season. However, he is proving that he deserves the starting center job in Houston.

Normally known only for his defense, Asik contributed 14 points on offense off of 12 shots. He garnered eight rebounds—three on offense—and an impressive four steals. 

Marcus on the Mark

Power forward Marcus Morris—who spent most of this 2011 rookie season in the D-league—had a breakout game. In addition to scoring 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, he grabbed eight rebounds, notched two steals and earned a game-high plus-21 differential in only 19 minutes on the floor. 

For his part, starting power forward Patrick Patterson made only one of his five shots and grabbed only two rebounds. 

Pistons Looking Pitiful

The Pistons are off to a very poor start to their season. They are dead last in the NBA at 0-7, with only the 0-5 Washington Wizards joining them in the set of winless teams. Detroit has been beaten soundly twice now by the Rockets and lost by 29 points against the struggling Los Angeles Lakers.

So far this year, the Pistons are losing by 11 points per game. Even in the weaker Eastern Conference, Detroit is going to have to start turning things around soon if it wants to sniff the playoffs. 

Adam Waksman is a featured columnist for the Bleacher Report New York Jets community. Be sure to follow Adam on Twitter to receive updates right away.

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