New Orleans Pelicans30/12
Postgame wrap: Rockets 108, Pelicans 104 | New Orleans Pelicans
Houston led by just one point through three quarters Saturday, but with James Harden getting a breather early in the fourth quarter, the less heralded Rockets took over the game. After a Houston surge without its perennial All-Star guard, the visitors were already up by double digits by the time Harden checked back into the lineup. Although New Orleans mounted a late rally, the Pelicans could never quite recover from Houston’s Harden-less run. Despite four New Orleans players registering 20-plus points, it dropped to 1-1 on a key midseason homestand, which concludes on New Year’s Eve vs.