Jalen Green scored 30 points, Cam Whitmore added 27 off the bench, and the visiting Houston Rockets never trailed in their 128-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.
Fred VanVleet contributed 25 points, Alperen Sengun added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Jae’Sean Tate scored 10 off the bench. The Rockets won their fourth consecutive game, a streak that began with a 133-113 win over the Pelicans one week ago.
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 21 points, while Dejounte Murray and Brandon Boston Jr. each scored 17. CJ McCollum added 13, Javonte Green scored 11, and Herbert Jones finished with 10 points. New Orleans lost their eighth straight game.
Green, who had scored 34 points in the previous win against the Pelicans, made a 3-pointer to start the third quarter, extending Houston’s lead to 21 points. The Rockets then pushed the lead to 24 before Murphy made three 3-pointers and Murray added one, bringing New Orleans closer at 83-66 midway through the third.
VanVleet answered with a 3-pointer, and Green hit another later in the quarter, helping Houston extend the lead to 102-74 by the end of the third. New Orleans made only one field goal in the final four minutes of the third quarter.
Green scored the first five points of the game for the Rockets, and VanVleet added eight as Houston built an early 19-12 lead. The Pelicans stayed within five points until Whitmore and Green connected on 3-pointers to spark a 14-2 run, giving the Rockets a 39-22 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Green (16 points) and VanVleet (10 points) combined to outscore New Orleans in the first quarter. Houston made 5 of 10 3-pointers in the period, while the Pelicans missed all seven of their 3-point attempts.
The Rockets extended their lead to 21 points, but McCollum made two 3-pointers and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added one, helping New Orleans cut the deficit to 50-36. The Pelicans got within 14 points again after a 3-pointer from Murphy, but Houston pushed the lead to 61-43 by halftime.
