Dwight Howard had 35 points and 19 rebounds, leading the short-handed Rockets to a 114-97 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Howard dominated Andre Drummond, Detroit's promising 20-year-old big man, and helped Houston control the game despite the absence of star guard James Harden, who was out with a sprained right ankle.
But Drummond looked overmatched against Howard, who ended up with his highest-scoring game since joining the Rockets in the offseason. Howard went 13 of 18 from the field, while Drummond managed only nine points at the other end.