Houston Rockets Defeat New Orleans Pelicans As Kevin Durant Makes History
Sunday night in Houston felt less like a contest and more like a coronation. While the New Orleans Pelicans tried their best to make things interesting down the stretch, the Houston Rockets had history on their side.
Winning 119-110, the Rockets improved to a respectable 25-15, continuing to separate themselves from the bottom of the pack. The Pelicans, meanwhile, dropped to a painful 10-35. But the box score only tells half the story. The real narrative was written at the free-throw line with just 15 seconds left on the clock, when a certain Slim Reaper decided to rewrite the NBA record books yet again.
Kevin Durant Etches His Name In NBA Lore
It wasn’t Kevin Durant’s prettiest shooting night. In fact, if you just looked at the field goal percentage, 5-of-18 from the floor and 1-of-8 from deep, you might think he had an off night. You’d be wrong.
Greatness isn’t always about efficiency; sometimes, it’s about inevitability. Durant finished with 18 points, but he found other ways to dissect the defense, dishing out a team-high eight assists. He was playing chess while the Pelicans were still setting up the checkers board.
The moment everyone was waiting for came in the dying seconds. Durant stepped to the charity stripe, cool as the other side of the pillow, and sank two free throws. With those shots, he officially bypassed the legendary Dirk Nowitzki for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Durant now sits at 31,562 career points. Next up on the hit list? Some guy named Michael Jordan at 32,292. You might have heard of him.
It is a massive milestone for Durant and a highlight reel moment for the Rockets organization. Watching him climb past a legend like Nowitzki is a reminder to appreciate greatness while it’s still lacing up sneakers.
Jabari Smith Jr. carries the Early Load For the Rockets
While KD was chasing ghosts of NBA past, Jabari Smith Jr. was busy torching the Pelicans in the present. If Durant was the closer, Smith was the starter, the middle reliever, and the setup man.
He exploded in the first half, ringing up a career-high 22 points before the teams even headed to the locker room. He finished with 32 points, providing the offensive spark Houston desperately needed while Durant’s jumper was taking the night off. When the Pelicans tried to clog the paint, Smith made them pay. He helped the Rockets build a 64-54 halftime lead that felt significantly larger than the 10-point margin suggested.
Pelicans Can’t Shake the Sense Of Déjà Vu
For New Orleans fans, this game must have felt like a recurring nightmare. Just a month ago, these two teams met, and the Rockets blew a 25-point lead in an overtime loss. Sunday night, the Pelicans tried to conjure up that same chaotic energy.
They fell behind early, but managed to claw their way back, threatening to make it a game. Zion Williamson put up a solid 20 points, and Trey Murphy III led the team with 21, but it felt like empty calories. Every time New Orleans made a surge, Houston had an answer.
The Pelicans simply couldn’t get the stops when it mattered. The Rockets seized total control midway through the fourth quarter, blowing the lead out to 16 and effectively putting the game on ice. It was a professional, methodical closing act by Houston, something that New Orleans, with its roster in flux and losses piling up, just couldn’t replicate.
What’s Next For the Rockets and Pelicans?
The Rockets are rolling. They’ve got momentum, a solid record, and a superstar climbing the all-time ranks. They are looking like a team that nobody wants to see in a seven-game series come playoff time.
On the flip side, the Pelicans are staring down the barrel of a long winter. They head home to host the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
As for the season series, these two Southwest Division rivals won’t see each other again until March. The Pelicans return to the Toyota Center on March 13 before hosting the Rockets in New Orleans on March 29. By then, the Rockets will likely be jockeying for playoff positioning, while the Pelicans might just be looking to play spoiler.
