The Houston Rockets (54 - 26) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (43 - 37) 121 - 114 on Sunday in Houston. The Pelicans found themselves with the lead for majority of the game, but then the Rockets kicked it up a notch towards the end of the third period and were able to hold onto their lead for the remainder of the game. MVP-candidate James Harden lead the way for the Rockets on Sunday, scoring 30 points (10 - 18 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 9 - 9 FT) and dishing out 7 assists in 38 minutes. It was Harden's third 30 - point game of the month. Corey Brewer provided a huge spark off the bench for Houston that helped them keep their lead, as he scored 20 points (6 - 11 FG, 8 - 11 FT) in just 29 minutes off the bench. Dwight Howard posted his third consecutive double - double of 19 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes and also hit some key free throws down the stretch when New Orleans was intentionally fouling him. The game was won on the fast break, as the Rockets scored 21 fast break points compared to zero for the Pelicans, and the win pushed Houston into a tie in the Western Conference with the Grizzlies and Clippers. However, the Rockets are losing the tiebreaker to both teams. New Orleans missed out on an opportunity to advance a game ahead of the Thunder in the playoff chase in the West, but even with the loss and owning the tiebreaker over Oklahoma City, the Pelicans are still in the playoffs as of today. All five New Orleans starters scored in double figures with Anthony Davis leading the way. Davis scored 27 points (10 - 16 FG, 7 - 10 FT) and grabbed seven rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Jrue Holiday played in his second game since returning from a leg injury and scored a very efficient 17 points (7 - 9 FG, 3 - 3 3Pt) in 15 minutes off the bench. Ryan Anderson also made strong contributions off the bench, scoring 15 points (6 - 13 FG, 2 - 7 FT), all of which came in the first half, in 27 minutes. Omer Asik (13), Eric Gordon (13), Quincy Pondexter (13) and Tyreke Evans (12) round out the seven Pelicans players who scored in double figures. Up next, the Rockets will travel to Charlotte Monday to take on the collapsing Hornets, while New Orleans will head to Minnesota and play the Timberwolves on Monday.
["PlayerStat(G,'Quincy Pondexter') has 7 Assists ,has 13 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 5 Assists ,has 16 Defensive rebounds ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 40 Field goals made ,has 27 Free throws attempted ,has 7 Free throws made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Omer Asik') has 13 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Gordon') has 13 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Tyreke Evans') has 13 Assists ,has 12 Defensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Ryan Anderson') has 13 Assists ,has 6 Defensive rebounds ,has 27 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jrue Holiday') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 15 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 28 Assists ,has 19 Defensive rebounds ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 7 Assists ,has 6 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 18 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ,has 9 Free throws attempted ,has 38 Free throws made ,has 30 Minutes played ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Corey Brewer') has 11 Assists ,has 6 Defensive rebounds ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 29 Field goals attempted ,has 20 Field goals made ."]