SUMMARY
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Eric Gordon and Christian Wood scored 23 points apiece and the host Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to six games with a 118-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, December 5 (Monday, December 6, Manila time).
Gordon added 5 assists and Wood 8 rebounds as the Rockets fended off a late Pelicans surge. Brandon Ingram sank a 10-footer with 2:12 remaining to cut what was once a 15-point deficit to 111-105, but Danuel House Jr. responded with a pair of free throws 25 seconds later and Garrison Mathews sank a corner three-pointer with 18.1 seconds left to seal it.
Ingram scored a season-high 40 points to keep the Pelicans afloat while Jonas Valanciunas paired 17 points with 10 rebounds. Willy Hernangomez (10 points, 14 boards) also posted a double-double for the Pelicans, who shot just 42.6% and missed 28 of 38 three-pointers.
Mathews (13 points), Daniel Theis (12 points), Jae’Sean Tate (11 points, 7 assists) and Alperen Sengun (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Rockets, who shot 17-of-40 from deep.
Gordon and Wood combined for 23 points in the third quarter as the Rockets extended to a 15-point lead on a Wood free throw at the 5:55 mark of the period. But Ingram and Nickeil Alexander-Walker sank back-to-back threes to keep the Pelicans within range, and a pair of Ingram free throws just prior to the close of the period enabled the Pelicans to stay within 9 points.
Fueled by 6 Houston turnovers and 7 offensive rebounds, the Pelicans closed the first quarter with a plus-11 advantage on shot attempts. However, those margins only prevented the Rockets from establishing a more comfortable lead, as Houston shot 10-of-18 from the floor while sinking half of its 8 three-pointers to forge a 28-26 advantage entering the second period.
The Rockets maintained their hot shooting, turning a 10-2 run into their largest lead of the half when Armoni Brooks hit a triple with 50.9 seconds left for a 57-44 cushion. That rally included a four-point play from Mathews, and while the Pelicans cut that deficit to 8 points by the break, the Rockets shot 55% prior to the intermission, including 8-for-18 from deep.
The Pelicans’ advantages on the glass, including 13 offensive boards for 10 second-chance points, and their 15 points off 9 Houston turnovers did not offset the Rockets’ shooting. – Rappler.com
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