Houston Rockets lost again! In a focus game of the NBA regular season that just ended, the Rockets lost to the Pelicans 113 to 122 after 4 quarters of hard work, and suffered a tragic reversal. The Rockets have lost four games in a row, and they continue to approach last place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans ended their two-game losing streak and rekindled their hope of entering the playoffs . In this game, the Pelicans' Ingram and Zion were both absent. Ball scored 27 points and 9 assists to lead the team to victory. The Rockets' Olynyk scored 26 points, and Wood only scored 15 points! The Rockets boss changed hands again. Fans lamented: I'm sorry, Brother Wood, you really can't do it without Harden !
In terms of strength, the Pelicans are stronger than the Rockets. However, the two-core Pelicans are missing one after another, and their level with the Rockets is only half the same. In the first quarter of the game, the Pelicans, playing away from home, took the lead. They led the Rockets by 11 points 39 to 27 in a single quarter. In the second quarter of the game, the two teams were inseparable, and the two teams tied 32 to 32 in a single quarter. After changing sides in the second half, the Rockets suddenly broke out in the third quarter. They blasted a 33-19 offensive in a single quarter to beat the Pelicans. However, in the fourth quarter, the Pelicans fought back. They won 33-23 by 10 points in a single quarter and completed the reversal.
Let’s take a look at the data of the main players of the two teams. Let’s take a look at the Rockets’ statistics first: Kelly Olynyk 26 points and 7 rebounds; Christian Wood15 points and 12 rebounds; Sterling Brown 12 points; Ja’Shawn Tate 17 points and 5 rebounds; Kevin Porter had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The Rockets rotated 10 players today, everyone scored, 5 players scored in double figures, and there were quite a lot of points. However, House only scored 1 point in his first appearance, which was a bit of a stretch.
Let’s look at the Pelicans’ statistics: Lonzo Ball had 27 points and 9 assists; James Johnson had 218 points and 7 rebounds; Steven Adams had 12 points and 11 rebounds; Eric Bledsoe had 219 points; Willy Hernangomez 15 points and 11 rebounds. The two core members of the Pelicans are absent. They rotated 9 players today. Everyone scored, and 7 players scored in double figures. There are too many points. In this game, new Pelicans player James Johnson played 33 minutes and made 8 of 16 shots, including 1 of 5 three-pointers and 1 of 5 free throws. He scored 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. The 18 points in this game set a new personal season high. The previous record was 17 points (against the Magic on April 2, 2021).
In addition to James Johnson, the Pelicans have other breaking points. Hernangomez played 25 minutes, made 7 of 7 shots, 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 15 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. The 15 points in this game set a new personal season high. The previous record was 14 points (against the Rockets on February 10, 2021). Lonzo Ball played 36 minutes and made 8 of 18 shots, including 8 of 15 three-pointers and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 27 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. It is worth mentioning that 8 three-pointers set a new career high for Lonzo Ball. With this, Lonzo Ball became the first player in team history to send out at least 8 assists and hit 8+ three-pointers in a single game.
Looking at the performance of the Pelicans players, everyone is setting new highs, which can be seen from the Rockets' current defense. On the Rockets' side, center Wood started the game and played 33 minutes, making 3 of 11 shots, and only scored 15 points; while new aid Olynyk came off the bench for 33 minutes, made 9 of 17 shots, and 5 of 13 three-pointers. 26 points and 8 rebounds. The boss of the Rockets changed hands again. After Harden left, the boss became Wall. Since Wall couldn't lead the team, the boss became Wood. Now that Olynyk has joined, his performance has been recognized by his teammates. He has the highest number of shots in the team. He is already the new boss of the Rockets.
Wood scored 20+ points in a row after joining the Rockets. He was once very arrogant and felt that he was an All-Star player. Now that Harden has left, the Rockets are getting further and further away from the playoffs, and Wood's data has also shrunk severely. All we can say is: I'm sorry, brother, you are not core material at all. You really can't do it without Harden!
