Rookie guard Jalen Green continued his run of strong play with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting (46.2% FG) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40.0%), but it wasn’t nearly enough to rescue the young Houston Rockets during a 130-105 demolition (box score) on Sunday night in New Orleans.
The Pelicans (28-40) had far more incentive to win than the last-place Rockets (17-51), since New Orleans has a very small lead on the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference — good for the final spot in the West’s play-in tournament for the 2022 playoffs. Needless to say, that extra incentive was quite evident when comparing the respective efforts.
Led by bruising center Jonas Valanciunas (32 points, 10 rebounds), the Pelicans bullied through a lethargic Houston defense lacking interior rim protection due to the slender Christian Wood (returning from an extended illness absence) and rookie backup Alperen Sengun.
