Houston Rockets Josh Smith Debuts with 21 Points

Josh Smith's solid starting debut helped the Houston Rockets secure the 117-111 victory in overtime against the Memphis Grizzlies. Smith, who played 32 minutes, led the team in shots with 21 points and four offensive rebounds with four.

"When you're a professional, and you've played a lot of years, it's not that hard, especially since you know a lot of the guys in the locker room," Smith said in regards to moving to a new team, according to ESPN.com. "They helped me out when I was kind of lost our there."

Smith's offensive rebounds came when the team needed it the most. With 1:18 left in OT, James Harden looked to extend the Rockets' 111-109 lead but ended up missing the 17-footer. Smith got in there to retrieve the offensive rebound, which allowed Trevor Ariza to take a shot. When Ariza missed, Smith was ready to rebound. Smith who was fouled after getting the second offensive rebound converted both of his free throw.

"We knew what he brought to the table," said Harden, who finished the night with 32 points and 10 assists. "All he has to do is go out there and play his game."

Smith was waived by the Detroit Pistons on Monday. He was picked up by the Rockets after his waivers cleared on Wednesday.

Ariza, Corey Brewer and Patrick Beverley all recorded more than 10 points each. Dwight Howard only had six points. Howard made all four of his free throws in OT.

Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 29 points, followed by Beno Udrih, who recorded 17 points. Quincy Pondexter had 14 points and Vince Carter scored 10.

"We did not do a good job of executing and they got more shots than us at the end," Gasol said. " We did not do a good job of executing our plays and that happens."

With the win, the Rockets moved up to first in the Western Conference's Southwest Division.