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The Houston Rockets were without Alperen Sengun, but Kevin Durant hit a jumper with seven seconds left, then two free throws a few seconds later to close the game out and give the Rockets a 107-105 victory that somehow has them in third place in the jam-packed Western Conference.
Durant went for 32 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists while turning the ball over just once. He was 13-for-24 from the field and also added a steal and a block.
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Amen Thompson pitched in 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists on a near triple double, while Reed Sheppard had 18 points on 5-for-11 shooting from three and Jabari Smith jr. had 16 points on 3-for-10 from downtown to round out the Rockets in double figures.
The Pelicans turned the ball over twice in the final 13 seconds, for an offensive execution that might actually be worse than the Rockets, and blew a slim lead despite Dejounte Murray’s 35 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. They also got 21 from Zion Williamson, though they were the two who turned the ball over down the stretch for the Pels.
The Western Conference is now super bunched up, with just a half game seperating the third through the sixth seed, and just 2.5 games if you stretch it to the seventh seed. The Rockets stand at 41-25 on the year, which has them on pace for 51 wins, or one worse than last season. They will return to action on Monday with a massive game against the fourth-seeded L.A. Lakers. They will then play the Lakers again on Wednesday. Both games are at home, so it will be a chance for the Rockets to make at least a little bit of space in the west standings. Monday’s game is airing on NBC/Peacock, while the Wednesday game is on ESPN, so that should tell you how big they are.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rockets-hang-beat-pelicans-107-121532457.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-14 12:15:00
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