Game ID: 22300011
New Orleans Pelicans @ Houston Rockets
Friday, November 10, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 26 28 16 34 104NOP 31 17 31 22 101
HOU vs NOP ScoutingHOU vs NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 11/01 · 2 days' restOUT Whitmore missed 2 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Holiday missed 2 since 10/27, returns tonight: 11 min (66% of 16)
OUT Landale missed 2 since 10/27, returns tonight: 19 min (140% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/04 · 2 days' restOUT Eason missed 2 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 3 since 10/27, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 11 min since (66% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 19 min since (140% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 3 since 10/29, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 1 min since (7% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 15 min since (91% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 16 min since (114% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Eason missed 4 since 10/29, returns tonight: 14 min (65% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 7 min since (36% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 17 min since (104% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 16 min since (115% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 14 min since (65% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 7 min since (36% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 18 min since (113% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 15 min since (108% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (76% of 22)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 18 min since (108% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 13 min since (97% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/17 · 4 days' restOUT Thompson missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 16 min since (75% of 22)
NEW Tate 16 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (79% of 22)
HOU availability going into 11/20 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (79% of 22)
NOP availability going into 11/02 · back-to-backOUT Ingram missed 2 since 10/30, out tonight
NEW Hawkins 17 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Ryan 14 to 22 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 11/04 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 3 since 10/30, returns tonight: 32 min (95% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restBACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 32 min since (95% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restBACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 34 min since (102% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 33 min since (100% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 34 min since (104% of 33)
NEW Daniels 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 3 since 11/08, returns tonight: 31 min (99% of 31)
BACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 34 min since (102% of 33)
NEW Daniels 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT McCollum missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Jones back 11/14 after 3, 31 min since (99% of 31)
NEW Daniels 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 23 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/18 · back-to-backOUT McCollum missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/14, out tonight
BACK Jones back 11/14 after 3, 34 min since (110% of 31)
NEW Daniels 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 22 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 21 and Sengun at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 25 and Williamson at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without McCollum (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 101 a night to New Orleans's 120 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-5 a night and New Orleans minus-7. Call it Houston 117, New Orleans 106, Houston by 11.
11/01 vs CHA 128-119 — HOU notes
HOU won 128-119. HOU shot 52% (44 of 84) to CHA's 50%, 21 of 37 from three. Ja. Green led with 23 (6 of 16, 4 of 8 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); VanVleet added 22, Brooks 20. The hinge was Q1, 39-27: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Tate was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
11/04 vs SAC 107-89 — HOU notes
HOU won 107-89. HOU shot 46% (40 of 87) to SAC's 38%, 13 of 36 from three. The glass went 53-43 for them. Brooks led with 26 (9 of 14, 2 of 4 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); VanVleet added 21, Smith Jr. 21. The hinge was Q4, 36-21: a lead of 3 became 18. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
11/06 vs SAC 122-97 — HOU notes
HOU won 122-97. HOU shot 57% (43 of 75) to SAC's 44%, 15 of 31 from three, and went to the line 27 times to SAC's 20 — 21 points from the stripe to their 11. Ja. Green led with 23 (5 of 9, 3 of 5 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Sengun added 17, Smith Jr. 13. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: a lead of 10 became 25, and the lead reached 40. Brooks was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
11/08 vs LAL 128-94 — HOU notes
HOU won 128-94. HOU shot 55% (51 of 93) to LAL's 42%, 14 of 33 from three. The glass went 57-34 for them. Ja. Green led with 28 (11 of 15, 5 of 6 from three); Sengun added 19, Tate 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-19: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 35. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
11/10 vs NOP 104-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 104-101. HOU shot 41% (36 of 88) to NOP's 45%, 10 of 35 from three, and got to the line 28 times to NOP's 34. HOU turned it over 9 times to NOP's 18. Ja. Green led with 25 (7 of 18, 2 of 8 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Sengun added 24, VanVleet 20. The hinge was Q4, 34-22: HOU came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 3. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
11/12 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 100, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 22 and Sengun at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (4 straight), Whitmore (2 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Murray (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 42 percent from three to Denver's 35 and the defense, Houston allowing 100 a night to Denver's 109. Call it Houston 112, Denver 109, Denver keeping it close.
11/17 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 0-5 over their last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Coffey (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 97, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 20 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (5 straight), Whitmore (3 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 97 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 15 times a game to Houston's 10. Call it Houston 112, the Clippers 106.
11/19 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 28 and Russell at 19 a game. Without Vincent (9 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 100, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Thompson (6 straight), Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 44 percent from three to Houston's 36 and the defense, Houston allowing 100 a night to the Lakers' 111. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/20 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Wiggins at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Green (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. Without Thompson (7 straight), Whitmore (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 102 a night to Golden State's 119 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 13. Call it Houston 111, Golden State 110, Golden State keeping it close.
11/02 vs DET 125-116 — NOP notes
NOP won 125-116. NOP shot 49% (39 of 80) to DET's 44%, 14 of 32 from three, and went to the line 35 times to DET's 26 — 33 points from the stripe to their 21. The glass went 36-48 against them. McCollum led with 33 (10 of 23, 3 of 10 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Valančiūnas added 23, Jones 21. The hinge was Q2, 37-20: a lead of 6 became 23. Valančiūnas was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
11/04 vs ATL 105-123 — NOP notes
NOP lost 105-123. NOP shot 48% (40 of 84) to ATL's 48%, 8 of 31 from three. The glass went 35-52 against them. Williamson led with 25 (9 of 16, 7 of 10 at the line); Ingram added 16, Hawkins 15. Q1 was theirs, 35-27, but the other 3 periods went 96-70 against them. They led by as many as 10. Jones's -26 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/06 @ DEN 116-134 — NOP notes
NOP lost 116-134. NOP shot 50% (45 of 90) to DEN's 54%, 13 of 30 from three, and got to the line 15 times to DEN's 23. Hawkins led with 31 (10 of 19, 7 of 14 from three); Ingram added 22, Williamson 20. Q2 was theirs, 44-34, but the other 3 periods went 100-72 against them. They led by as many as 20. Ingram's -29 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/08 @ MIN 101-122 — NOP notes
NOP lost 101-122. NOP took 11 more shots (93 to 82), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to MIN's 55%, 8 of 28 from three. Ingram led with 24 (11 of 25, 1 of 6 from three); Hawkins added 14, Ryan 12. Q4 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 29 to 21, but the other 3 periods went 97-68 against them. Valančiūnas's -29 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ HOU 101-104 — NOP notes
NOP lost 101-104. NOP shot 45% (34 of 75) to HOU's 41%, 8 of 25 from three, and went to the line 34 times to HOU's 28 — 25 points from the stripe to their 22. NOP turned it over 18 times to HOU's 9, and HOU turned those into 9 steals. Ingram led with 31 (11 of 24, 3 of 11 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Williamson added 24, Valančiūnas 15. Q3 was theirs, 31-16, turning a 6-point deficit into a 9-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 88-70 against them. They led by as many as 10. Ryan's -9 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 120, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 23 and Williamson at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without McCollum (3 straight), Jones (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 32 and Irving at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Dallas at 40 percent from three to New Orleans's 35. Call it Dallas 118, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/14 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 124, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ingram at 23 and Williamson at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without McCollum (4 straight), Jones (3 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and Irving at 25 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kleber (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 15 times a game to Dallas's 11. Call it Dallas 122, New Orleans 115.
11/17 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 20 a game. Without McCollum (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Murray (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 107 a night to New Orleans's 121 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 10. Call it Denver 116, New Orleans 111.
11/18 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 22 a game. Without McCollum (6 straight), Nance Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Towns at 26 and Edwards at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and New Orleans minus-1 and the arc, New Orleans at 39 percent from three to Minnesota's 35. Call it Minnesota 114, New Orleans 111, New Orleans keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
DS D. Seabron
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
MR M. Ryan
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
TE T. Eason
NOP/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Rockets win fifth straight game, beat Pelicans 104-101 in NBA In-Season Tournament debut
HOUSTON -- — Jalen Green scored 25 points, Alperen Sengun added 24 and the Houston Rockets stretched their winning streak to five with a 104-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Fred VanVleet hit consecutive 3-pointers late in the game and scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for the Rockets, on their longest winning streak since January 2021.
The Rockets and Pelicans were both playing their first games in the NBA In-Season Tournament, and an eventful fourth quarter turned Toyota Center into a playoff atmosphere.
New Orleans entered the fourth with a 79-70 lead, but Houston clawed back and took a 101-100 lead following back-to-back 3s from VanVleet with a minute left. VanVleet hit two free throws to put Houston up 103-100.
“Being up and down, having ejections, technical fouls, foul trouble, bad shooting, turnovers — this game had it all tonight,” VanVleet said. “We were able to stay resilient and come out with a win.”
Earlier in the quarter, Jonas Valanciunas and Dillon Brooks tangled for a few seconds after a whistle was blown, riling up the crowd. A few plays later, Valanciunas powered through Sengun’s foul to make a driving layup that put New Orleans up 95-88. Valanciunas appeared to shoot finger guns and shout, “Boom!”
About a minute later, Valanciunas fouled out of the game.
Brandon Ingram led New Orleans with 31 points. Zion Williamson had 24 points and eight rebounds, and Valanciunas added 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
The Rockets led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Pelicans closed the gap some late in the second quarter. Houston led 54-48 at halftime before New Orleans took over in the third.
“They made plays down the stretch of the game in the last couple of minutes,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “The guys battled their tails off against a team that’s been going lately. Across the board, we couldn’t ask for anything better, we just came up a little short.”
There were 14 lead changes in the game.
“We weren’t our best offensively or defensively, but it’s good to grind it out,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “It’s a little more gratifying to win that way than a blowout. The guys made some big plays in the fourth quarter.”
New Orleans committed 18 turnovers to Houston’s nine.
“The physicality picked up a little bit, that’s what it was,” Ingram said. “Our execution has to be better in the fourth quarter.”
Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate was ejected late in the second quarter after receiving his second technical for reacting to the officiating.
The Pelicans were without CJ McCollum (right lung small pneumothorax), Jose Alvarado (right ankle sprain) and Herb Jones (right fibula contusion).
The Rockets debuted their specially painted court for the tournament, which featured red stripes across the top and bottom of the court, with a blue stripe and red “H-Town” lettering across the center.