The Houston Rockets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 106-104, at Smoothie King Center on Saturday evening.

The Rockets (15-12) had to come from behind to defeat the Pelicans (17-13) and did just that, mounting a fourth-quarter comeback to top the hosts. Houston enjoyed a decent start and grabbed a 26-24 lead following the opening 12 minutes. However, the Pelicans responded and grabbed the lead with a 27-21 score in the second quarter. A 33-32 score in the third gave New Orleans a five-point edge, but they were never in complete control of the contest. The Rockets would use that to close the game in the final 12 minutes. A 27-20 score in the fourth quarter lifted Houston to an improbable victory, as the Rockets executed very well down the stretch. With the win, the Rockets moved to 3-10 on the road, while the Pelicans fell to 9-6 at home.

Alperen Sengun was magnificent for the Rockets and finished with a career-high 37 points. He also added 11 rebounds and six assists. Fred VanVleet posted 10 points and three assists. Jabari Smith finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. No other Houston player scored in double digits. Houston shot 42.7 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range.

Zion Williamson paced the Pelicans with 28 points, but he also added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Brandon Ingram had 19 points, five assists and three rebounds. CJ McCollum finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds despite dealing with a minor injury. Trey Murphy III had 14 points coming off the bench. The Pelicans shot 46.3 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from three.