Rockets Dominated on the Boards in 110-99 Loss to Pelicans
Energy Slippage. Consistent Cam. Out of Steam.
Jalen Green continued his resurgent play of late, scoring 31 points to lead the Rockets. However, it wasn’t enough against the Pelicans, as New Orleans defeated Houston, 110-99, on Wednesday night. After being outplayed by Alperen Sengun in the first two matchups, both Rocket wins, Jonas Valanciunas had one of his best games of the season. The Pelicans’ big man scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead New Orleans. Houston had no answers for Valanciunas, who was a beast on the glass and in the interior all night long. Brandon Ingram added 24 points and 10 boards, and C.J. McCollum chipped in 19 points for the Pels. This was Houston’s first loss to New Orleans
Jalen Green had another solid shooting performance to go with his 31 points. Jalen shot 11-for-20 overall from the floor, but his three-point shooting was the impressive stat. Green may be starting to find his stroke from beyond the arc as the guard went 5-for-12 from three on Wednesday night. He also registered 4 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on the evening. Cam Whitmore continues to be a consistent force of explosive energy off the bench for the Rockets. Whitmore scored 17 points on 50% shooting in only 20 minutes of action. Alperen Sengun had a rough night, scoring only 10 points, as Valanciunas was too much for Al-P to handle on Wednesday.
Houston was manhandled on the glass against New Orleans. The Pelicans grabbed 27 more rebounds than the Rockets, and were the more aggressive team from the opening tip. Houston trailed by eight points after the first quarter, but the Rockets managed to chip away and make it a five-point game heading into the final period. Unfortunately, Houston ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans started the final frame on a 15-0 run to put the game away for good. Up next for the Rockets, the squad will close out their home-stand by hosting Fred VanVleet’s former team, the Toronto Raptors, on Friday night. Toronto is in full rebuilding mode… giving Houston a great shot to snap back on the winning track this Friday night.