Dec 26, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Inexperienced (4) drives to the basket in opposition to New Orleans Pelicans heart Yves Missi (21) through the first half at Smoothie King Heart. Necessary Credit score: Stephen Lew-Imagn Photos Jalen Inexperienced scored 30 factors, Cam Whitmore added 27 off the bench and the visiting Houston Rockets by no means trailed throughout a 128-111 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night time.
Fred VanVleet netted 25 factors, Alperen Sengun added 10 factors and 13 rebounds and Jae’Sean Tate scored 10 off the bench for the Rockets, who gained their fourth straight in a streak that started with a 133-113 rout of the visiting Pelicans one week earlier.
Trey Murphy III scored 21, Dejounte Murray and Brandon Boston Jr. had 17 every, CJ McCollum scored 13, Javonte Inexperienced added 11 and Herbert Jones had 10 to steer the Pelicans, who misplaced their eighth consecutive sport.
Jalen Inexperienced, who scored 34 factors within the earlier win in opposition to New Orleans, made a 3-pointer to begin the third-quarter scoring and enhance Houston’s result in 21 factors. The Rockets pushed the margin to 24 earlier than Murphy made three 3-pointers and Murray made one to drag the Pelicans inside 83-66 halfway by means of the quarter.
VanVleet answered with a triple, Jalen Inexperienced added one other afterward and Houston expanded the result in 102-74 on the finish of third quarter. New Orleans made only one discipline purpose within the ultimate 4 minutes of the third.
Inexperienced scored the Rockets’ first 5 factors of the sport and VanVleet added eight as Houston opened a 19-12 lead. The Pelicans had been inside 5 factors till Whitmore and Inexperienced related from deep to energy a 14-2 run that left the Rockets with a 39-22 lead on the finish of the interval.
Inexperienced (16 factors) and VanVleet (10) mixed to outscore New Orleans within the first quarter. Houston made 5 of 10 3-pointers within the first interval, whereas the Pelicans missed all seven of their pictures from past the arc.
The Rockets expanded the result in 21 factors earlier than McCollum made two 3-pointers and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl made one to assist New Orleans creep inside 50-36. The Pelicans received inside 14 factors once more on a 3-pointer by Murphy, however Houston pushed the result in 61-43 on the half.
–Area Degree Media
