The Rockets beat the Pelicans, 146-117. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Dillon Brooks had 27 points, Alperen Sengun and Aaron Holiday added 20 each and the Houston Rockets sailed to a 146-117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
Houston never trailed in its second straight victory over the Pelicans after getting a 109-97 win in New Orleans on Thursday night.
A 3-pointer by CJ McCollum got the Pelicans within 11 with 10 seconds left in the first half before Brooks made a 3-pointer and a Pelicans turnover gave Houston the ball back.
Brooks made two free throws to end the second and the Rockets opened the third with an 8-4 run to extend the lead to 82-62 with 9 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.
The Rockets led by 26 entering the fourth and an 8-2 run made it 117-85 with 10 minutes left.
Houston's Amen Thompson was a rebound shy of a triple-double with 15 points and 11 assists when he was injured with less than six minutes left. He limped to the locker room, but the team didn’t immediately provide details on his injury.
Zion Williamson scored 20 for the Pelicans and Jose Alvarado had 17 off the bench. McCollum also had 17.
Takeaways
Pelicans: They looked thoroughly overmatched in losing for the fourth time in five games.
Rockets: Houston got off to a good start Saturday in taking advantage of a schedule that has the team playing six straight home games. The Rockets look to get on a roll and move up in the standings after dropping to fifth in the Western Conference amid recent struggles.
Key moment
Houston’s big run spanning the end of the second quarter and the opening minutes of the third.
Key stat
The Rockets improved to 7-2 in games where Brooks scores at least 20 points.
Up next
The Pelicans host Memphis on Sunday night and the Rockets get a visit from Orlando on Monday night.
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Amen Thompson had 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Houston Rockets had a dominating second half to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 109-97 on Thursday night to open a home-and-home set.
Alperen Sengun added 22 points, eight assists and three steals, and Tari Eason scored 21 points as the Rockets snapped a three-game losing streak. They had lost their last eight road games.
Trey Murphy III scored 26 points to lead the Pelicans. Zion Williamson had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Thompson had 12 points in the second half, including a dunk to cap the Rockets' opening spurt right out of the break that put them ahead for the first time — and for the rest of the game. They later had a 12-0 run in the third quarter.
When Houston trailed by double figures in the first quarter, Thompson had a highlight two-handed slam. He went around rookie Yves Missi and made a double-clutch move to get the dunk.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston, currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference, is 11-3 against division foes this season.
Pelicans: Williamson was only 5-of-15 shooting from the field, but did hit 10 of 12 free throws.
Key moment
The Rockets never led until a 9-1 run in the first two minutes of the second half, a quick spurt that Thompson capped with a dunk. They led the rest of the way, going ahead by as many as 17 points.
Key stat
Thompson had eight dunks.
Up next
The Rockets and Pelicans play again Saturday night, this time in Houston.