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NBA scores: James Harden drops 37 points in debut as Rockets top Pistons

Plenty of their foes started their 2012-13 NBA season on Wednesday night while Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers sat idle after their 94-84 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. James Harden stole the show with 37 points and 12 assists in his debut.

Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers had the night off on Wednesday, but James Harden, Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets put on quite a show against one of the Cavs' Central Division rivals. Harden poured in 37 points and dished out 12 assists, and Lin added 12 points and eight assists, as the Rockets stunned the Detroit Pistons, 105-96. That duo sparked a 33-15 run in the fourth quarter that sealed the game for the new look Rockets. It's too early to scoreboard watch for Cavs fans, but the Pistons flashed some of the same flaws from last season. That is a good sign for a Cleveland team hoping to jump up in the standings.

In other Central Division action, Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls picked up where they left off as they churned out an ugly 93-87 win over Tyreke Evans and the Sacramento Kings. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah combined for 41 points on 14-of-25 shooting and 18 rebounds in the win.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers took advantage of the Toronto Raptors in the final minutes of a close game and emerged with a 90-88 road win. David West led all scorers with 25 points, and Paul George added 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

You can go here for a full scoreboard of Wednesday's action.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.