The last time these two teams faced off, it was an old fashioned shootout. Friday night was much of the same with the New Orleans Pelicans (27-21) coming out on top against the Houston Rockets (34-13) despite some late advances by the Rockets by the score of 115-113.
The Pelicans got out in front early on in the matchup, but were unable to put a gap between themselves and Houston. That wound up helping the Rockets end the first quarter with a one-point lead.
New Orleans did manage to build a considerable gap between themselves and the Rockets in the second quarter thanks to a lights-out quarter from DeMarcus Cousins where he racked up eight points, five boards, and four assists. That was more than enough to give them a 13-point lead into the break.
It looked like the Pelicans were going to put it out of reach in the third quarter, going up by 21 with 5:54 left. However, a big performance from Chris Paul brought it down to a ten-point lead as they headed into the final frame.
Things got interesting in the final moments with the Rockets tying it up at 109 with 1:17 left courtesy of a three-pointer from Trevor Ariza. However, the Pelicans were able to hang on after a missed free throw from James Harden with 1.8 seconds left.
It wasn’t all positivity though as Cousins went down with an injury that was later confirmed to be an Achilles injury. The severity of the injury is to be determined, but it is expected that he will miss the rest of the season. The Pelicans will return to action on Sunday when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers (23-24) with tipoff set for 3 pm.
-Clint Domingue