Anthony Davis And The Pelicans Dominated The Rockets In Houston To Open The Season

The biggest game on Wednesday night in the eyes of most NBA fans was the Pelicans going to Houston to take on the Rockets. It was a matchup of two teams that made the Western Conference Semifinals a year ago, and many wanted to see where each stood after some interesting moves this offseason.

The end result was an absolute drubbing, as New Orleans rocked the Rockets in a 131-112 final, asserting themselves as a force in the West with an offense capable of lighting up the opposition. Anthony got his MVP resumé off to a strong start with 32 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and three steals, dominating the Rockets on both ends with his length and strength — and feasting on lobs as the Rockets struggled to contain the Pelicans guards off the pick-and-roll and even dishing it some himself.

Nikola Mirotic added 30 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, as he lit it up from three-point range, hitting 6-of-8 from distance.

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Julius Randle came off the bench for the Pelicans, but had a massive impact with 25 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in his 23 minutes of action. That trio was dominant, in whatever combination they were put in, and the ability to keep those players fresh by rotating them in and out will make the Pelicans’ offense dangerous all season.

E’Twaun Moore also chipped in 21 points, as he picked up where he left off after a strong 2017-18 campaign, and Elfrid Payton, coming off a dismal year in Orlando and Phoenix, had a 10-10-10 triple-double in his Pelicans debut.

For the Rockets, it was the worst case scenario of all of their offseason changes come to life. Offensively, they weren’t in their typical rhythm and shot just 33.3 percent from three-point range. Carmelo Anthony was 3-for-10 (1-for-5 from 3) for nine points and four boards in 27 minutes off the bench, looking an awful lot like the worst of OKC Melo in the process. The defense appeared to take a major step or two back from last year as a result of the roster changes and they were scrambling around and leaving shooters open constantly against the Pelicans tempo.

That’s not how the Rockets will look all season, as seemingly everything that could go wrong for Houston did in one night. The sky isn’t falling, but it certainly is a less than ideal start for the team most expect to be the top contender to the Warriors out West.