Pelicans vs. Rockets Takeaways: Lack Of Readiness Leads To Winning Streak Ending

The Houston Rockets failed to keep their winning streak alive in a loss to the Pelicans Sunday night, and their subpar start was the reason behind their disappointing play.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets' three-game winning streak came to an end Sunday night in a 117-107 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' loss inside the Toyota Center. 

The Rockets' readiness set a disappointing tone:

The 2022-23 campaign has been a season about checking tasks off the list of the Rockets' development.

Early in the season, it appeared Houston solved their early struggles of readiness. But in the fourth and final contest against the Pelicans, the inadequate start hindered the Rockets' chances of winning four consecutive games.

"One of the messages after the game was the readiness," Coach Stephen Silas said. "I did not like the way we played in the first half. We played better in the second half and came back." 

The Rockets and Pelicans were tied at 19 with 5 minutes and 33 seconds left in the first quarter. New Orleans outscored Houston 19-9 over the next several minutes. And by halftime, the Rockets found themselves in a 20-point deficit (64-44).

Houston scored 44 points in the first half while shooting 35.7 percent from the field, 15.8 percent from behind the arc. 

The Rockets picked up their play in the second half and came within two possessions midway through the fourth quarter. They scored 63 points in the last two periods shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind the arc. 

A near-perfect night from the line:

For a team that came into the game shooting 75.1 percent from the free-throw line, the Rockets had their best night shooting from the charity stripe. Houston began shooting 21-21 from the line. By the end of the game, the Rockets shot 36-for-38.

Houston needed to have their best night from the foul line Sunday, given that the Pelicans' defense limited the Rockets' paint scoring to 34 points. The Rockets have averaged 54.4 points in the paint. 

"They [the Pelicans] were switching some and going under, which made it harder for us to turn the corner," Silas said. "We ended up doing a pretty good job with getting downhill because we shot so many free throws. It's not like we were unable to get into the paint. But it wasn't the finishes tonight — it was free throws."

Jabari Smith Jr. cools off for the first time in March:

The Rockets came into the game winners of five out of their previous eight, and Jabari Smith Jr. played the most significant role in Houston's success.

But in his worst game in nearly a month, the Rockets sustained a 10-point defeat to the Pelicans. Smith ended the night with eight points on 2-for-10 shooting, 0-for-4 from behind the arc and four rebounds.

Smith came into the game averaging 17.6 points on .547/.474/.704 shooting splits and 7.6 rebounds over the last eight games.

Best performance:

Jalen Green recorded his fourth 40-point performance of the season — the fifth of his career. Green shot an efficient 11-for-22 from the field, but his most important attribute was his ability to get to the foul line. The Rockets shot 36-for-38 at the charity stripe, while Green accounted for 14 attempts to shoot 100.0 percent from the line.

Worst performance:

Jae'Sean Tate had arguably his worst performance of the season. He recorded just two points in 22 minutes and had one rebound. He had a rough time with fouls by picking up four penalties in the loss.

Final Words:

"We all know that he's [Jalen Green] a gifted scorer, and we kind of expect him to have nights like that. But we don't take those nights for granted because at the end of the day it is his sophomore year and he's showed tremendous talent and he's going to continue to get better and he's stronger." — Porter

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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