Hill carries Pelicans past Rockets
NEW ORLEANS -- Forward Solomon Hill scored a career-high 30 points, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to a 128-112 victory over the Houston Rockets Friday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Hill entered the game averaging 6.5 points per game, but he exploded for 16 first-quarter points as New Orleans (28-41) took a 36-23 lead. The Pelicans played without center DeMarcus Cousins, who was rested with a sore left knee and bruised right rib.
The Rockets (47-22) got a game-high 41 points from James Harden, but even though they cut a 23-point deficit to 114-103 with 5:27 left, they got no closer.
The Rockets opened the third with back-to-back threes by Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley to cut the deficit to 68-56, but Hill and guard Jrue Holiday combined for 21 points in the third quarter as the Pelicans took a 99-81 lead into the fourth quarter.
Without Cousins, the Pelicans seemed to move the ball better, with better spacing, and they built a 68-50 halftime lead even though Davis scored only nine points.
Solomon Hill, whose season high was 16 points, scored 14 points in the first quarter, hitting 4 of 5 from 3-point range, to go along with four assists. In addition, Hill played strong defense against Harden, holding him to six points in the quarter as New Orleans took a 36-23 lead.
By the time the Pelicans built a 52-36 lead with 6:30 left in the second quarter, Davis had only three points. The Pelicans shot 51.9 percent in the first half and held the Rockets to 36.6 percent shooting, including just 6 of 21 from long range.
NOTES: Pelicans C DE Marcus Cousins sat out the game with a sore left knee and bruised right rib. Cousins took a shot to the ribs in a 120-112 road loss to Miami on Wednesday night. "Obviously, the hit he took during the game has something to do with it," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said. "The knee was just sore. He had an MRI. Obviously, it was negative, but there's no reason to ever put anybody out there at risk." ... Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said despite the early struggles the Pelicans have had integrating Cousins into the lineup with Anthony Davis, it will work in the long run, although he specializes in small ball. "You aren't talking to a credible source on two big guys," D'Antoni said, laughing. "By big guys, do you mean 6-5? They are two great players, so it can work. They are versatile, so I think with time it will work."