Palo Alto High grad Jeremy Lin made his debut with the NBA's Houston Rockets a successful one as he scored 12 points and dished out eight assists in a 105-96 win over the host Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Lin made five of his 12 field-goal attempts, grabbed four rebounds and four steals, committed four turnovers, and had four fouls in 35:27 as the Rockets' starting point guard.

Lin came to Houston as a restricted free agent in the offseason after the New York Knicks declined to match the Rockets' offer of $25 million over three years.

"It's a brand-new chapter in my life, and so I'm excited to get this thing going," Lin said after the game. "And hopefully, if we keep this up, it's going to be a really fun season."

When asked about his performance, Lin focused on his health, in particular the left knee that forced a premature end to his previous season.

"This was the best my body has felt in a while, a few months," he said. "I'm glad I got that first one out of the way. I know what to expect, and how my body's going to respond."

The Rockets' season opener was highlighted by James Harden, acquired in a blockbuster trade with Oklahoma City over the weekend. He sparkled in his Houston debut with 37 points and 12 assists. He signed with Houston for $80 million over five years. Eight of his points came off assists from Lin.

Baseball
Palo Alto High grad Joc Pederson will be a member of the East Division for the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Game on Saturday.

Pederson is among 52 players (26 on each roster) who have been selected and the only player from the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization picked.

Pederson played the regular season for Rancho Cucamonga in Single A and batted .313 in 110 games with 136 hits, 18 homers, 70 RBI and 26 stolen bases.

The 20-year-old Pederson is one of the youngest prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League, and will play for the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Double-A Southern League in April.

Pederson was ranked as the Dodgers' No. 4 prospect by MLB.com entering the 2012 season and lived up to that by being named the organization's Minor League position player of the year.

Pederson was an 11th-round pick out of Paly in 2010, bypassing a chance to play at USC by signing late for a $600,000 bonus.

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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