The interior combination of Zion and Valanciunas is definitely the largest interior combination in the league today. In the face of such an opponent, Shen Jing disrupted the opponent's defense and played a enough eye-catching performance. On December 24, 2023, Beijing time, the Houston Rockets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 106-104. Shin Jing had 37 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.
A big win in the last game not only ended the Rockets' three-game losing streak, but also showed the offensive power of the Rockets in front of people again, and this way of relying on the team basketball model to rebuild is the rebuilding model that is really suitable for the Rockets. Despite being back-to-back games, the Rockets had a big win in their last game, so they didn't suffer too much physically. After the opening, he frequently used the breakthrough to impact the Pelicans' basket, and Shen Jing used his flexible feet to win consecutive singles for Zion. With the help of Shen Jing's tandem on the court, Smith Jr. also got a chance to shoot on the outside and hit a three-pointer steadily. However, the Pelicans are now superior to the Rockets, using Ingram and McCollum's mid-range shots to fight back and step up their scrambles. Smith Jr. and Alvarado got into an argument over the ball, and the two eventually received technical fouls.
The Rockets' team basketball put the Pelicans' defense to the test, and the Pelicans also used the individual abilities of the stars to challenge the Pelicans' defense, after all, the Pelicans have an advantage in this regard. Zion, Ingram, and McCollum took turns using their individual abilities to play singles, while the Rockets' shooting touch also began to decline, and Green made a series of mistakes because he fell into a solo fight. After McCollum's free throw, the Pelicans had already equalized. Varan hit a small hook shot against Shin Jing under the basket, and the Pelicans overtook the score. Smith Jr. missed a solo goal in a misplaced position, and McCollum and Zion formed a pick-and-roll, causing an opponent's defensive foul after playing against Green. At the end of the first half, the Pelicans led the Rockets by four points.
McCollum's three-pointers were still consistent in the second half, while the Rockets' offense stalled at this point, but Shin Kyung was able to find an advantage on the inside, even if he couldn't score the ball directly, he was able to get free throws. Just as the Rockets couldn't limit the Pelicans' outside shots, the Pelicans couldn't stop Shin Kyung's offense on the inside, and the two teams fell into a scorching battle. In fact, for the Pelicans, if Zion can play a threat at this point, then the team will have a huge advantage. However, Zion did not perform too aggressively on the offensive end, and he couldn't limit Shin Kyung's pace on the defensive end, which is one of the reasons why the Pelicans and Rockets fell into a scorching battle. VanVleet missed a layup, and Shin Kyung was hit in the eye by Alvarado on offense, and after a short examination, he went on the court and scored the ball steadily.
The fact that the Rockets have been able to play like this this season has a lot to do with the resilience of the team. In the face of the Pelicans' fierce offensive, the Rockets did not panic, but counterattacked through defense, and after a wave of 8-0 offensive, the Rockets have overtaken the score. In the face of Shin Jing's strong attack under the basket, the Pelicans' two interior lines could not limit the opponent at all, and Valanciunas received 6 fouls and was sent out. Without Valanciunas, the inside high, Shin Kyung was more comfortable under the basket, while the Pelicans could only limit Shin Kyung's scoring with fouls. After Shin Jing hit a free throw, the Rockets led the Pelicans by 2 points with 1:05 left in the game. Zion stopped a strong shot and couldn't score, while Smith Jr. scored 2 points on the counterattack, and the Rockets gradually stabilized the situation. Robinson scored a goal under the basket, but the Pelicans missed Shen Jing when they were pressing all over the court, and the opponent easily completed the dunk, which also allowed the Rockets to seal the game. In the end, the Rockets defeated the Pelicans on the road.