New Orleans has seen enough of Victor Oladipo in the Smoothie King Center this month. After Oladipo played a vital role in Indiana’s miraculous comeback win over the Pelicans on Jan. 4, the guard was back in the building Saturday wearing a Houston uniform, following a trade. The guard did major damage during a second-quarter offensive barrage for the Rockets, who piled up 48 points in the period, turning an eight-point deficit into an 18-point halftime advantage. Oladipo finished the Southwest Division matchup with 20 points and 4/8 three-point accuracy.
As a result, New Orleans dropped to 2-1 on what’s turned into a five-game homestand.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
New Orleans sliced its deficit to 15 points by the end of the third quarter, but Houston began the final period with a 14-7 run, building a 113-91 lead with 8:05 remaining. Rockets rookie Jae’Sean Tate made a few momentum-stopping plays, including a transition drive for a layup that forced the Pelicans to call timeout.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Houston had major difficulty keeping Zion Williamson from getting to his left hand, resulting in the second-year forward scoring often on drives. Unfortunately for New Orleans, it was an inefficient shooting night for much of the rest of the rotation, with the other high-volume guys struggling. Williamson went 11/19 from the floor to get his 26 points, but the rest of the starters were 16/39 and center Steven Adams exited in the second half due to a right calf injury.
BY THE NUMBERS
20/46: Houston three-point shooting, led by Oladipo and John Wall draining four apiece.
12/41: New Orleans three-point shooting. The three most frequent attempters were 5/23.
Revisiting three keys to victory
BRING THE ENERGY
In its first back-to-back of 2020-21, New Orleans came out ready to play, but Houston picked up steam in the second quarter, while the Pelicans reverted to one-on-one play after good early ball movement.
BLED-ZO ENCORE
The New Orleans starting backcourt couldn’t repeat its magic from the previous night beyond the three-point line, this time combining to shoot 3/14, after both sank seven treys against Milwaukee.
ACHIEVE LIFT-OFF
Houston’s defense has ranked No. 1 in the league since it began a five-game winning streak, but that end of the floor wasn’t the big issue on this night for New Orleans. The Rockets’ offense kicked into high gear and stayed there for much of the final three quarters.
