On March 14, Beijing time, the NBA's new season regular season continued. The Houston Rockets, which have chosen to rebuild this season, have also ushered in a new game, away to the New Orleans Pelicans. As a team that once shouted the championship before, the Rockets are once again back to square one, which is indeed a pity. But we have to admit that the Rockets still have a lot of gains in the process of rebuilding. Similar to Jaylen Green, a probing show that continues to cash in on his talent, and a failed draft Wood who maintains an average of two double-doubles per game, and Porter Jr., who was originally abandoned by the Cavaliers.
They all made a big splash in Houston, and even if they couldn't stay with the Rockets in the end, they could become a good trading chip for the team. However, the New Orleans Pelicans, who played at home today, have really chilled fans in the past two years. Zion was hailed as a rival to LeBron James, but injuries limited his development. So far this season, Zion has not been able to return to the field. Before the trade deadline, Portland's second-in-command McCollum, although the team's record and ranking have improved, but whether it can finally return to the playoffs is still a big problem.
At the start of the game, the Rockets quickly got into form and achieved a feat of domination. Wood was in high form in the first quarter, sending 6 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and Jaylen Green and Jeshaun Tate sent 7 points in succession to help the team play 32-29 and take a 3-point lead. And the Pelicans, who entered the second quarter of the showdown and were in a backward state, could also make a strong counterattack. Ingram and McCollum continued to be absent, but the single-core team's starting center Valanciunas played himself, delivering 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in the quarter.
With the continuous power of the players on the team, the Pelicans hit a 39-23 score, not only recovering the 3 points behind in the first quarter, but also achieving a 13-point reversal. The situation has reversed, and the Pelicans, who are easy to fight again, can continue to threaten and stabilize the score lead. In the third quarter of the competition, the Rockets fell into a scoring drought, Valanciunas continued to shoot 100% of the 3-of-3 shooting, delivered 9 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, leading the team to a 30-17 score, and another 13-point lead.
By the time they reached the crucial final-quarter showdown, the difference between the two sides had reached 26 points, and the Rockets had no chance to fight back. So, in the fourth quarter of the regular showdown, the Rockets chose to give up early, and the Pelicans did not take advantage of the danger, both sides sent rotating players to consume the remaining game time. In the end, the regular time of the fourth quarter was completed, and the Pelicans won the game with a score of 130-105. Looking back at the entire game, the Rockets were almost defeated, and Wood never had a double-double stat, only handed over 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists, and the contribution on the scoring end was still slightly embarrassing.
Meanwhile, Jaylen Green, a rookie who clocked out of work in the third quarter, didn't score high, handing over just 17 points. But on the other hand, on the Pelicans' side, they played a high state of full strength. Valanciunas played just 27 minutes to deliver a game-high 32 points, as well as 10 rebounds and 3 assists. At the same time, Jackson Hayes also has 21 points and 6 rebounds, Najib Marshall also has 17 points and 10 rebounds, Hernangomez, who came off the bench, sent 12+6+4, and Alvarado also had 16 points, 2 rebounds and 10 assists.