Summary Sampson's tenure at the helm opened on Saturday night with a 96-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale has taken an indefinite leave of absence to attend to a family matter, leaving assistant Kelvin Sampson to guide Jeremy Lin and his young team-mates.
"Kevin is a devoted family man who is needed back home in Minnesota at the moment," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said.
"The Rockets organization will keep Kevin and his family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
Sampson s tenure at the helm opened on Saturday night with a 96-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The Rockets first home win of the fledgling season ended a three-game skid.
"It s big for us to kind of break the drought," said Lin, who scored seven points with eight assists. "We needed this one."
James Harden scored 20 points and Omer Asik added 14 points and eight rebounds as the Rockets kept the Pistons without a victory. The Pistons fell to 0-7 for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
The victory was also a morale booster for the Rockets as they prepare to host NBA champions Miami on Monday.
Prior to the game, however, the Rockets thoughts were with McHale.
"It s tough, man, because his family is going through a real tough time right now," said second-year forward Chandler Parsons.
"The best thing we can do right now is play extremely hard, go out there and play like he s here. Just go out there and get a win for him and for his family."
