A 3-pointer by CJ McCollum got the Pelicans within 11 with 10 seconds left in the first half before Brooks made a 3-pointer and a Pelicans turnover gave Houston the ball back.

Brooks made two free throws to end the second and the Rockets opened the third with an 8-4 run to extend the lead to 82-62 with 9 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.

The Rockets led by 26 entering the fourth and an 8-2 run made it 117-85 with 10 minutes left.

Houston's Amen Thompson was a rebound shy of a triple-double with 15 points and 11 assists when he was injured with less than six minutes left. He limped to the locker room, but the team didn’t immediately provide details on his injury.

Zion Williamson scored 20 for the Pelicans and Jose Alvarado had 17 off the bench. McCollum also had 17.

Takeaways

Pelicans: They looked thoroughly overmatched in losing for the fourth time in five games.

Rockets: Houston got off to a good start Saturday in taking advantage of a schedule that has the team playing six straight home games. The Rockets look to get on a roll and move up in the standings after dropping to fifth in the Western Conference amid recent struggles.

Key moment

Houston’s big run spanning the end of the second quarter and the opening minutes of the third.

Key stat

The Rockets improved to 7-2 in games where Brooks scores at least 20 points.

Up next

The Pelicans host Memphis on Sunday night and the Rockets get a visit from Orlando on Monday night.

------

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Yves Missi vs. Alperen Sengun (CJ McCollum gains possession)	0	0
11:35	shot clock turnover	0	0
11:19	Tari Eason misses 26-foot three point jumper	0	0
11:18	Yves Missi defensive rebound	0	0
11:07	CJ McCollum misses 24-foot three point jumper	0	0
11:06	Jalen Green defensive rebound	0	0
10:50	Tari Eason makes 6-foot two point shot (Alperen Sengun assists)	2	0
10:31	Kelly Olynyk misses 25-foot three point jumper	2	0
10:29	Jalen Green defensive rebound	2	0
10:20	Jalen Green misses 15-foot jumper	2	0
10:18	Trey Murphy III defensive rebound	2	0
10:03	CJ McCollum misses driving layup	2	0
10:02	CJ McCollum offensive rebound	2	0
10:00	Dillon Brooks shooting foul	2	0
10:00	CJ McCollum misses free throw 1 of 2	2	0
10:00	Pelicans offensive team rebound	2	0
10:00	CJ McCollum makes free throw 2 of 2	2	1
9:48	Dillon Brooks makes 26-foot three point jumper (Amen Thompson assists)	5	1
9:32	Trey Murphy III lost ball turnover (Alperen Sengun steals)	5	1
9:28	Amen Thompson makes 3-foot dunk	7	1
9:16	Yves Missi makes 2-foot dunk (Kelly Olynyk assists)	7	3
9:02	Dillon Brooks makes 26-foot three point jumper (Tari Eason assists)	10	3
8:52	CJ McCollum makes two point shot	10	5
8:32	Jalen Green misses 26-foot three point step back jumpshot	10	5
8:30	Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound	10	5
8:19	Dillon Brooks personal foul	10	5
8:09	Zion Williamson makes 5-foot two point shot (Kelly Olynyk assists)	10	7
7:46	Jalen Green makes 28-foot three point jumper (Alperen Sengun assists)	13	7
7:33	Zion Williamson makes 7-foot two point shot	13	9
7:12	Amen Thompson makes 12-foot pullup jump shot	15	9
6:59	Zion Williamson misses two point shot	15	9
6:58	Dillon Brooks defensive rebound	15	9
6:46	Alperen Sengun makes 3-foot dunk (Amen Thompson assists)	17	9
6:44	Pelicans Full timeout	17	9
6:44	Jabari Smith Jr. enters the game for Dillon Brooks	17	9
6:44	Jordan Hawkins enters the game for Zion Williamson	17	9
6:36	Trey Murphy III misses 30-foot three point jumper	17	9
6:33	CJ McCollum offensive rebound	17	9
6:31	Trey Murphy III misses 31-foot three point jumper	17	9
6:28	Jalen Green defensive rebound	17	9
6:17	Tari Eason misses 25-foot three point jumper	17	9
6:15	Trey Murphy III defensive rebound	17	9
6:09	Trey Murphy III makes two point shot (Kelly Olynyk assists)	17	11
5:49	Jabari Smith Jr. misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot	17	11
5:47	Amen Thompson offensive rebound	17	11
5:44	Jordan Hawkins shooting foul	17	11
5:44	Amen Thompson makes free throw 1 of 2	18	11
5:44	Steven Adams enters the game for Alperen Sengun	18	11
5:44	Amen Thompson misses free throw 2 of 2	18	11
5:43	Steven Adams offensive rebound	18	11
5:43	Steven Adams makes tip shot	20	11
5:38	Trey Murphy III makes 3-foot dunk (Kelly Olynyk assists)	20	13
5:25	Amen Thompson traveling	20	13
5:07	Kelly Olynyk misses 7-foot two point shot	20	13
5:05	Jalen Green defensive rebound	20	13
4:59	Jalen Green misses 30-foot three point shot	20	13
4:56	Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound	20	13
4:49	Kelly Olynyk lost ball turnover (Jabari Smith Jr. steals)	20	13
4:46	Tari Eason makes 6-foot dunk	22	13
4:40	CJ McCollum misses driving floating jump shot	22	13
4:37	Amen Thompson defensive rebound	22	13
4:33	Amen Thompson makes two point shot	24	13
4:08	Yves Missi makes 3-foot dunk (Kelly Olynyk assists)	24	15
3:53	Jabari Smith Jr. misses 19-foot pullup jump shot	24	15
3:51	Steven Adams offensive rebound	24	15
3:47	Steven Adams makes 5-foot two point shot	26	15
3:35	CJ McCollum makes 26-foot three point step back jumpshot	26	18
3:24	Jalen Green makes 6-foot two point shot	28	18
3:24	Yves Missi defensive goaltending violation	28	18
3:13	CJ McCollum bad pass (Steven Adams steals)	28	18
3:06	Rockets Full timeout	28	18
3:06	Aaron Holiday enters the game for Amen Thompson	28	18
3:06	Alperen Sengun enters the game for Tari Eason	28	18
3:06	Karlo Matkovic enters the game for CJ McCollum	28	18
3:06	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl enters the game for Kelly Olynyk	28	18
3:06	Jose Alvarado enters the game for Yves Missi	28	18
2:59	Jordan Hawkins personal foul	28	18
2:51	Jalen Green misses driving layup	28	18
2:49	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl defensive rebound	28	18
2:42	Jordan Hawkins makes 26-foot three point shot (Jose Alvarado assists)	28	21
2:26	Jabari Smith Jr. makes 3-foot layup (Steven Adams assists)	30	21
2:12	Trey Murphy III misses 30-foot three point jumper	30	21
2:10	Steven Adams defensive rebound	30	21
2:06	Aaron Holiday makes two point shot	32	21
1:58	Jose Alvarado makes 8-foot layup (Jordan Hawkins assists)	32	23
1:47	Trey Murphy III kicked ball violation	32	23
1:47	Zion Williamson enters the game for Trey Murphy III	32	23
1:35	Jabari Smith Jr. makes 26-foot three point jumper (Alperen Sengun assists)	35	23
1:13	Zion Williamson makes 5-foot driving floating jump shot (Karlo Matkovic assists)	35	25
57.1	Steven Adams misses layup	35	25
56.0	Karlo Matkovic defensive rebound	35	25
49.0	Jordan Hawkins makes 25-foot three point shot (Jose Alvarado assists)	35	28
36.0	Alperen Sengun makes 7-foot dunk (Jalen Green assists)	37	28
27.0	Jose Alvarado misses 28-foot three point pullup jump shot	37	28
24.1	Zion Williamson offensive rebound	37	28
18.1	Zion Williamson bad pass (Steven Adams steals)	37	28
6.1	Aaron Holiday misses 26-foot three point jumper	37	28
3.1	Alperen Sengun offensive rebound	37	28
2.1	Alperen Sengun makes two point shot	39	28
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	39	28

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Toyota Center (Houston)

Houston, TX

Date & Time

12:00 AM, March 9, 2025

Coverage

Space City Home Network, GCSEN, Pelicans.com, NBA League Pass

Attendance

18,055

Referees

Sean Wright, Sean Corbin, Simone Jelks

2025-26 Southwest Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
San Antonio	43	16	.729	W11
Houston	37	22	.627	L1
Memphis	22	36	.379	W1
Dallas	21	38	.356	L2
New Orleans	19	42	.311	W4

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