New Orleans has authored several impressive victories against quality Western Conference opponents this season, but nearly all of them have been hard-fought games that weren’t decided until the last few possessions. Then there was what happened Friday, when the Pelicans dominated the Rockets in every aspect of the game, en route to their second-biggest margin of victory in 2014-15. New Orleans improved to 2-0 against Houston this season, having won at the Toyota Center two weeks ago. Ten Pelicans scored at least six points in a balanced team effort. Defensively, New Orleans held Houston to 39.8 percent shooting from the field and 6-for-29 from the three-point arc.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
New Orleans built an 84-58 lead with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter, causing Houston’s Kevin McHale to insert deep reserve Nick Johnson for the first time. McHale yanked his entire starting five early in the third quarter after a moribund couple of minutes, but things only got worse from there for the Rockets, who trailed by 17 at halftime and 29 through three periods. None of Houston’s starters played more than 25 minutes.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ryan Anderson was scorching-hot from the moment he stepped on the floor, piling up 17 first-half points en route to a team-best 22-point game. Anderson finished 9-for-14 from the field, including 3 of 6 from three-point range. Anderson’s 22 points came in 23 minutes. Tyreke Evans was also outstanding, netting 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting. Evans constantly pierced Houston’s interior defense with penetration and layups.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Dante Cunningham was valuable at both ends of the floor, taking on several tough defensive assignments, including James Harden on some plays. Cunningham added 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting in his 28 minutes. The Pelicans limited Harden to 5-for-13 shooting and he did not get to the foul line once, a rarity for perhaps the NBA’s premier drawer of defensive fouls. Monty Williams said Cunningham’s strip of Harden and dive on the floor for the loose ball was Friday’s “signature play.”
QUOTES TO NOTE
“To be able to play against a playoff team that’s going to contend for a championship that way, after what happened to us the other night, says a ton about character and resiliency. Our guys came focused and flushed what happened the other day.” – Monty Williams on his team bouncing back in emphatic fashion after a bitter OT loss in San Antonio on New Year’s Eve
“It was fun, to see all of our guys who don’t get an opportunity to play a lot each night go in and go out there and have fun. Jimmer (Fredette), Alexis (Ajinca), Russ (Smith) – Jimmer throwing lobs to Austin (Rivers) – all that stuff is fun to watch. It keeps our team together and tight. It was fun to watch those guys. They put in a lot of work on practice days, to make sure the starters get better every day in practice, by pushing us. It’s all paying off.” – Anthony Davis on being able to relax in the fourth quarter and cheer for teammates from the sideline.
“They came out with some fire. They played really well. They kicked our ass.” – James Harden after the Pelicans’ rout of the Rockets
BY THE NUMBERS
10: Pelicans who registered at least one assist. Jrue Holiday led the way with six assists.
49-38: Rebounding advantage for New Orleans. Of course, it was a bit easier to pile up defensive rebounds on a night when Houston missed 53 shots.
17-44: Houston’s combined shooting from its starting five, a group Kevin McHale was visibly displeased with for much of the first half, but also in the third quarter when he quickly pulled the plug on the unit. James Harden was 5-for-13. Dwight Howard was the lone efficient Houston first-stringer, going 6-for-8.
FAN TWEET OF THE GAME
#TAKEFLIGHT QUESTION OF THE NIGHT
New Orleans is now 11-4 at home, with seven more home games in January (Washington, Memphis, Lakers, Dallas, Philadelphia, Denver, Clippers). Which game at the Smoothie King Center are you most looking forward to and why?
From @PRYMETYMEJ3: “Memphis… it’s a division game.”
From @willosgood116: “D.C. Good team and their only time in NOLA this year, unless we somehow meet in the NBA Finals.”
From @LSUFAN869: “Washington! Good young team.”
From @LivinOnTheEdge: “Washington!! Hopefully my first Pelicans game.”
From @BillyCaronialIII: “All! Why not!?!”