The Houston Rockets secured a narrow victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, winning 130-128.
Houston started strong in the first quarter. Jalen Smith Jr. led with early scoring. He tallied 9 points before the period ended. Amen Thompson added 7 points and 3 assists.
The Rockets built a lead that reached 26-8 midway through. Yves Missi grabbed multiple rebounds for New Orleans. He also scored 2 points on a driving hook shot. Zion Williamson contributed 6 points late in the quarter. The period closed with the score at 26-28 in favor of the Pelicans.
The second quarter saw momentum shift. Houston regained control with a 31-28 lead early on. Alperen Sengun dished 3 assists, including one for Sheppard’s 3-pointer. Eason responded with a running dunk for New Orleans. The score tied at 56-56 with under a minute left. Matkovic hit a 3-pointer to give the Pelicans a 59-58 edge. Durant sank a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer. Houston led 60-59 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Houston pulled ahead. Thompson drained a 3-pointer to make it 63-61. Smith Jr. followed with another 3 for a 66-61 advantage. Adams scored on a tip-in layup to extend the lead to 70-61. New Orleans fought back. Missi dunked to cut the gap to 75-63. Williamson added a reverse dunk for 75-65. Houston responded with free throws from Sengun and Thompson. The quarter ended with Houston up 102-88.
The fourth quarter turned into a close finish. New Orleans mounted a comeback. Jeremiah Fears hit a 3-pointer to make it 128-126 with seconds left. Holiday scored a driving floater for the 130-128 final margin. Bey led the Pelicans with 16 points. Fears finished with 20 points off the bench. Williamson added 13 points and 4 steals.
Smith Jr. topped Houston scorers with 26 points. Thompson scored 21 points and had 7 assists. Eason added 20 points in a bench role. Sengun recorded 8 points and 7 assists. Durant contributed 15 points.
