On December 24, Beijing time, the Rockets challenged the Pelicans back-to-back away, and Cai En made a comeback in this game.
In the first quarter, the Rockets first played a wave of 9-2 to establish a lead, and then the Pelicans also completed a wave of 8-0 to complete the overtake. After that, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war, and the Rockets led by 2 points into the second quarter. In the second quarter, Zayn continued to rely on his strong body to frequently impact the interior to score, while Green was out of form and made 2-of-7 in the half and delivered five turnovers, and the Pelicans ended the first half with a 51-47 lead over the Rockets.
In the second half of the rematch, Shen Jing and Brother Ying both scored 14 points, and the two teams continued to go back and forth in this section, and the score difference was never opened. At the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans led by five points into the final quarter.
In the final quarter, Shen Jing continued to play steadily to help the Rockets complete the overtake, while Pelican and CJ rarely played. In the last 8 seconds of the game, Shen Jing made a fast attack and dunked, and the Rockets led by 4 points to kill the suspense of the game. In the end, the game was over, and the Rockets narrowly defeated the Pelicans 106-104.
Zayn Williamson 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks;Trey Murphy had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals;CJ McCollum 13 points and 5 rebounds;Brandon Ingram had 19 points, 5 assists and 2 blocks;Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Alperen Shinkyung 37 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists;Jalen Green had 9 points and 4 rebounds;Jabari Smith had 26 points and 11 rebounds;Fred VanVleet 10 points;Tari Eason had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals;Dillon Brooks had five points, five rebounds and five assists.
Pelicans: Matt Ryan's right elbow is back in absence;Larry Nance Jr. is out with a fractured right rib;Cody Zeller is sidelined with a sprained right ankle.
Rockets: Reggie Bullock is out sick;Victor Oladipo is out with his left knee restored.
After the game, Rockets head coach Amy Udoka spoke to Rockets player Jabari Smith on the offensive end.
Jabari Smith stepped up on the offensive end and you could tell he was very confident in his shot. Amy Udoka said in an interview.
He can always go to his shooting spot and then use his height and reach to shoot directly at the opponent's head. ”
Jabari Smith has put in a lot of work and I've seen since I came in this summer he's been working hard. ”
His dedication day in and day out makes me think it's only a matter of time before he gets to where he is now. He's really confident and he played another great game today. ”
After the game, Rockets coach Udoka said of Shin Kyung's offensive aggressiveness: We need the performance he brings tonight, this is our team, there can be a different person every night who performs well, and tonight it will be his turn.
After the game, Pelicans coach Willie Green was interviewed. Speaking about the loss to the Rockets, Willie Green said: "Gotta give them a credit for doing what they should have done to win. They're the better team physically, and in my opinion, they're tougher mentally. For us, this is a time of growth. We must learn from this. On what they should do, Willie Green said: "We have to stop the mistakes and we need to hit the free throws. ”
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