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CJ McCollum #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans controls the ball around Kevin Porter Jr. #3 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on March 19, 2023 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP
CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram combined for 52 points and the visiting New Orleans Pelicans earned a 117-107 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
McCollum finished with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists while making 4 of 7 3-pointers. Ingram added 26 points with a team-high nine assists as the Pelicans (34-37) snapped three losses in four games to stay in the hunt for a spot in the West play-in tournament.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Pelicans. Jonas Valanciunas had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Trey Murphy III added 14 points and Herb Jones scored 13.
.@CJMcCollum will find its way through 🕴 pic.twitter.com/OWLAx0ktjb
– New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 20, 2023
After the Rockets (18-53) cut what was a 20-point deficit in the last half of the third quarter, McCollum sent a 3 and a driving layup that enabled the Pelicans to take a 92-78 lead into the fourth.
The Rockets’ starting backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. combined for 65 points on 18-of-37 shooting from the floor and 22-of-22 shooting from the free throw line.
Green had 40 points, his fourth 40-point game of the season, but the Rockets didn’t have a double-digit scorer until Tari Eason sank two free throws with 8:08 left, and Houston snapped a three-game winning streak.
Jalen Green dropped 40 as the Rockets fell at home.
40 points
4 fiddles
4 three pic.twitter.com/aBUMEgyfC0— NBA (@NBA) March 20, 2023
As with the start of Friday’s 114-112 loss to the Rockets, the Pelicans got off to a hot start, but this time they went on a hot streak late in the opening period. New Orleans shot 57.7% overall in the first quarter, making 7 of 10 3-pointers while building a 38-28 lead entering the second.
The Pelicans were so efficient offensively in the first quarter that they only recorded one point from the point of the floor other than from the paint or from behind the arc, with Murphy completing a three-point play with a free throw at 6:32. mark that extended the New Orleans lead to 19-14.
The second period offered more of the same for the Pelicans. McCollum increased the lead to 48-32, matching the largest lead from there, through a 3-pointer with 7:49 left in the half before the Pelicans took the first 20-point lead when Jones completed a three-point play at the 2:04 mark.
The Rockets, meanwhile, shot just 6 of 19 in the second quarter including 0-for-8 from deep. New Orleans took a 64-44 lead into the break on the strength of 16 quick points and an even score that featured McCollum and Murphy combining for 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting while Ingram, Jones and Valanciunas scored nine points apiece.
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