New Orleans Pelicans heart Jonas Valanciunas (17) dribbles as Houston Rockets heart Alperen Sengun defends through the first half of an NBA basketball recreation Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photograph/Eric Christian Smith)
HOUSTON— Jonas Valanciunas scored 25 factors, Brandon Ingram added 24 and the duo mixed for twenty-four rebounds to assist the New Orleans Pelicans snap a three-game skid with a 110-99 win over the Houston Rockets within the NBA on Wednesday evening.
New Orleans led by 5 to start out the fourth quarter earlier than scoring the following 15 factors to make it 99-79 with slightly below 6 1/2 minutes remaining. Jose Alvarado hit a 3-pointer throughout that stretch and Valanciunas had six factors to assist the Pelicans pad their lead.
The Rockets missed eight photographs and dedicated two turnovers within the fourth earlier than Fred VanVleet scored their first factors on a leap shot midway via the interval.
“That group that was within the recreation did a terrific job of getting stops,” coach Willie Inexperienced mentioned. “We had been getting open seems to be or we had been ending within the paint. We speak about Jonas, he acquired us going.”
JV with 12 PTS and seven REB within the first half 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cguqkAJcXc
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 1, 2024
Houston’s Jalen Inexperienced was dissatisfied his group let the sport get away after coming into the ultimate quarter inside hanging distance.
“We simply didn’t get (any) stops,” he mentioned. “We weren’t scoring they usually had been doing no matter they need.”
The Pelicans had been up by 18 earlier than Houston used an 11-1 spurt, with 3s from VanVleet, Inexperienced and Dillon Brooks, to chop it to 105-97 with about two minutes to go.
However then Trey Murphy III made a 3 for New Orleans a number of seconds later to finish Houston’s run.
“We simply continued offensively with our pressure and our tempo,” Willie Inexperienced mentioned. “We didn’t permit their physicality to disrupt us offensively. Strong effort on each ends of the courtroom.”
Jalen Inexperienced led the Rockets with 31 factors, and VanVleet added 16.
“Some guys had powerful nights there and didn’t play with vitality,” Houston coach Ime Udoka mentioned. “It’s powerful when plenty of guys aren’t taking part in nicely general.”
CJ McCollum had 19 factors for the Pelicans on an evening when Zion Williamson was out for the second time in 4 video games with a bone bruise in his left foot.
Willie Inexperienced raved in regards to the work of Valanciunas with Williamson sidelined.
“He was incredible,” the coach mentioned. “JV was actually locked in and centered on doing what was wanted to assist us win the sport.”
The Pelicans had been up by seven at halftime and opened the third quarter on a 10-3 run, with six factors from Ingram, to increase the result in 71-57 with about eight minutes left within the interval.
Inexperienced scored 5 factors in a 9-2 surge after that to get the Rockets inside 73-66 with about 5 1/2 minutes to go within the third.
New Orleans was up by eight after a 3 by Naji Marshall later within the quarter earlier than Houston scored the following six factors, capped by a two-handed dunk by rookie Cam Whitmore, to chop the result in 79-77 with about 1 1/2 minutes left within the quarter.
However the Pelicans ended the third with a 5-2 spurt to take an 84-79 lead into the fourth.
Jabari Smith Jr. had a tricky evening for the Rockets in his second recreation again after lacking 4 with an ankle harm. He went 0 for six and had only one rebound.
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NEXT SCHEDULE
Pelicans: Go to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday evening.
Rockets: Host the Toronto Raptors on Friday evening.
