New Orleans Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego lauded his team’s effort following Thursday’s 133-128 overtime victory against the Houston Rockets, highlighting resilience and physicality as key factors. “Just the effort. Resilient, tough, physical, everything we talked about over the last couple weeks,” Borrego said.
Borrego emphasized the team’s reflection of the city’s character, adding, “It’s a team that reflects the city of New Orleans… never drop the sword mentality. No woe is me. We just get back to it.” He credited Herb Jones for turning the game defensively, noting, “He was a major part of turning that game… eight steals. He turned the game with his physicality and aggression and energy. He was phenomenal tonight.”
Saddiq Bey’s performance also drew high praise. “He’s been incredible all year… he made big shots, timely shots. He was fantastic,” Borrego said. He explained his decision to maintain Bey and the same core group in the fourth quarter and overtime: “That group had momentum and I tend to stay stick with momentum… that group had been sitting there for a bit… we had enough timeouts there… and that’s what we did.”
Borrego highlighted rookie Derik Queen’s impact against Houston’s Alperen Sengun. “He stood the test… he held his ground, made big plays in the paint… as the game gets further down the line, he tends to step up. He likes the big moments, and he responded extremely well,” Borrego said.
The coach also noted the leadership of Jones and Trey Murphy. “Those guys have been here… they’ve stepped into these leadership roles… I’m seeing that in the form of communication, keeping us steady, not getting too high, too low, just coming and doing our work,” Borrego said, underscoring their influence in stabilizing the team through a difficult season start.
Thursday’s win completed a historic comeback, as the Pelicans erased a 25-point third-quarter deficit, the largest second-half rally in franchise history. Bey scored 29 points, including 21 after halftime, while Murphy added 27 and Jones contributed 18 with a career-high eight steals before fouling out.
Houston was led by Kevin Durant’s 32 points and Sengun’s 28, though missed late free throws allowed New Orleans to tie the game at 117 and force overtime. Queen sparked an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to five before Bey’s dunk brought the Pelicans within one possession.
The Pelicans have now won three straight games after starting 3-22, while Houston’s five-game winning streak ended. New Orleans hosts the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, and Houston visits the Denver Nuggets.
