Rockets Fall in Embarrassing Fashion in Loss to Pelicans

The Houston Rockets closed their four-game regular season series amid an embarrassing loss to the Pelicans.

Coach Ime Udoka spent the entire All-Star break studying the Houston Rockets and wondering how to revitalize the team. He noticed that his team played with a certain kind of toughness and competitiveness during the first half of the season, which led to the Rockets possessing a record of over .500 during the first 27 games. 

Udoka's goal out of the break was to get his team back to playing .500 ball. But Thursday night, the Rockets dropped their second consecutive game amid a 127-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. 

With the loss, the Rockets fell to 24-31 on the season. And with 27 games left to play, making a late push toward the Play-In Tournament has become an unrealistic goal.

New Orleans Pelicans dribbles against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and forward Dillon Brooks (9) during the first half at Smoothie King Center / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of a brief four-point lead the Rockets held early in the first quarter, the Pelicans controlled the game for nearly 48 minutes. Amen Thompson was the lone bright spot for the Rockets. He scored a career-best 22 points while adding five rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Alperen Şengün added 20 points and nine rebounds in the loss. However, he spent most of the night trying to contain his rival Jonas Valančiūnas. New Orleans' big man had his way against Şengün for the second time this season, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds. 

In addition to Valančiūnas, C.J. McCollum led the way with a game-high 28 points, while Zion Williamson added 27 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block in the win. He scored 17 points during the first half.

Turnovers played a significant role in Houston's struggles. The Rockets gave up the ball 24 times, which resulted in 34 additional points for New Orleans.

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Fred VanVleet returns following five-game absence:

Fred VanVleet returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games due to an abductor injury. He played 25 minutes and finished the game with seven points on 2 of 8 shooting and six assists. 

Another road loss:

With a loss to the Pelicans, the Rockets have now dropped 15 of their last 21 games. But more importantly, Houston remains one of the league's worst teams on the road. They are 5-23 away from the Toyota Center.