New Orleans Pelicans defeat Houston Rockets behind Brandon Ingram outburst

Thursday, 01 February 2024 at 04:33

With no Zion Williamson, former All-Star Brandon Ingram took charge as he led the New Orleans Pelicans to a victory 110-99 over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

The Pelicans have been one of the more under-the-radar teams in terms of competitors in the Western Conference, but when healthy they can make some noise. With 3 All-Star caliber talents in Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum along with amazing depth, this team will be a tough first round exit.

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Brandon Ingram had another terrific game, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. This is his third straight game scoring 24 or more points on 47% or better efficiency. Jonas Valanciunas had a monster double-double, finishing with 25 points and 14 rebounds on 67% shooting. CJ McCollum played great as well, ending with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

On the Rockets side, Jalen Green had another outstanding performance. He played an all-around game and finished with 31 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on 55% shooting. Jalen Green is on fire, scoring over 30 points on better than 50% shooting in back-to-back games. Fred VanVleet had a bounce back game as he recorded 16 points on 50% shooting. 3rd year center Alperen Sengun finished with a 10-point, 10 rebound double-double and rookie Cam Whitmore scored 17 points off the bench.

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This win improves the Pelicans to 27-21 on the season, which moves them up past the Dallas Mavericks for the 7th seed in the Western Conference. This win snaps a 3-game losing streak for New Orleans, and they will look to build off this momentum as they face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

For the Rockets, this loss drops them to 22-25 on the season, making them 11th in the Western Conference. Houston is now 1 game behind the 10th seeded Utah Jazz and 0.5 games above the 12th seeded Golden State Warriors. Houston will look to turn things around on Friday night when they go up against the Toronto Raptors.