Lewis put Houston on his back today, carrying them to a stunning 104-99 victory over Detroit. "I'd never tell my players this coming into the game, but I knew they were they better team and was just hoping to avoid getting blown out," said Houston coach Bob. "And aside from Lewis, Detroit was the better team out there and probably should have won. But Lewis was about as good as I've ever seen him, and we were able to hitch up and ride him to the win."

Detroit coach David Smith was impressed. "You certainly can't count on a single player to consistently steal wins for your team, but that's what Lewis did for them today. We just have to hope for a more human performance from him next time we meet."

Houston was led by Lewis (29 points, 2 steals, a block), Laboy (18 points, a steal, a block), Groninger (12 points, 7 boards, 0 assists). Detroit was led by Gilliam (22 points, a block), Kay (16 points, 1 assists, 4 blocks), Price (6 points, 8 assists, 2 steals).

With the victory, Houston improve to 18-17 and 11-9 at home. They hold at #3 in the Southwest and remain at #9 overall in the Western Conference. Detroit drop to 28-3 with the loss. They remain at #1 in the Central and remain at #1 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Houston roster Detroit* roster