Jose Alvarado Ignites Pelicans Win Over Rockets
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Houston Rockets 119-106 in front of a near-sellout crowd of 15,367 Saturday night. By the game's end, those fans were echoing Jose, Jose chants from the rafters. The 2nd year guard was instrumental in providing the spark and energy the team needed to close the Rockets out.
The Pelicans got off to a hot start Saturday night after displaying a lackluster performance in Thursday night's loss to the Portland TrailBlazers. The team had better energy and effort in the first half and seemed poised to put the Rockets away early. They led 63-50 at halftime after a strong performance by the bench, who had 23 bench points in the first 24 minutes.
Zion Williamson also got off to a fast start scoring 13 points in the first half on 4/4 shooting. Larry Nance Jr scored 12 off the bench, and the Pelicans had 15 assists in the first half. All seemed to be going according to plan until the Rockets made a furious run in the 3rd quarter.
A lead the Pelicans had ballooned to 18 points quickly evaporated by the Rockets' 3-point shooting. The Rockets would go on a 23-3 run in the 3rd and take a one-point lead heading into the 4th quarter.
Rockets guard Jalen Green was a huge reason for the run. He finished with a game-high 33 points.
Kevin Porter Jr. also had a strong game for the Rockets, scoring 23. Houston seemed ready and poised to pull the upset. However, Jose Alvarado's energy fueled the Pelicans to victory.
Alvarado finished the 4th quarter with 8 points, two rebounds, four assists, and 3 steals. Just as Alvarado was delighting the fans, he was frustrating the Rockets.
With under a minute left in the game, Alvarado would steal the ball from Kevin Porter Jr., and tempers would flare. The officials assessed both players technical fouls before finally being tossed out of the game. As Alvarado exited, the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his hard nose and gritty play. His teammates appreciated it as well.
After the game, Zion Williamson told reporters that Jose "was the X-factor to the game." The star forward said he would pay the fine for any Alvarado's technical foul because of the fire and competitiveness.
The Rockets and Pelicans were knotted at 106 with 3 minutes remaining before the Pelicans went on a 13-0 run to end the game.
Brandon Ingram finished the game with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Zion Williamson had a team-high 26 points, and Larry Nance Jr finished with 22 points off the bench. The win moves the Pelicans to 7-6 on the season. They will host the Memphis Grizzles on Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
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