The Houston Rockets defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, 117 - 107, at Toyota Center on Friday evening. The Pelicans (30 - 42) started out strong, leading 33 - 28 after one quarter, and managed to stay on top, with a one - point lead at halftime. The game remained close through the third quarter, while the Rockets (50 - 22) managed to grab a one - point lead heading into the final frame. The Rockets came out with intensity in the fourth, and closed out strong, as they out - scored the Pelicans 37 - 38 in the quarter to seal their 50th win of the season. This marks Houston's third straight win, while the Pelicans' three game winning streak was put to rest. James Harden led the way for the Rockets with 38 points, 17 assists and seven rebounds, while managing to restrict himself to only three turnovers, in 38 minutes. Patrick Beverley went 4 - of - 7 from long range, on his way to 17 points, to go along with six rebounds and two assists, in 31 minutes. Eric Gordon chipped in 14 points on 5 - of - 10 shooting, in 33 minutes off the bench, while Clint Capela double - doubled with 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Rockets now look ahead to Sunday, when they play host to the Thunder. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 62 points, as they came up just short of what would have been a very impressive win, had they been able to hold on. Davis finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds, while Cousins followed up with 29 points, six rebounds four assists and four blocked shots. Jrue Holiday chipped in 18 points and dished nine assists, while the only other player to score in double digits for New Orleans was Jordan Crawford, who finished with 12. The Pelicans playoff hopes are dwindling, but they will look to continue the push, as they visit Denver to take on the Nuggets on Sunday.
["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 22 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 28 Points in 1st quarter ,has 50 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 42 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 33 Points in 1st quarter ,has 30 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G, 'Anthony Davis') has 33 Points, has 16 Total rebounds"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'DeMarcus Cousins') has 4 Assists, has 4 Blocks, has 29 Points, has 6 Total rebounds"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'Jrue Holiday') has 9 Assists, has 12 Field goals attempted, has 18 Points"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'Jordan Crawford') has 12 Points"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'Clint Capela') has 10 Points"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'Patrick Beverley') has 2 Assists, has 7 3-pointers attempted, has 4 3-pointers made, has 31 Minutes played, has 17 Points, has 6 Total rebounds"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'James Harden') has 17 Assists, has 38 Minutes played, has 38 Points, has 7 Total rebounds, has 3 Turnovers"
 "PlayerStat(G, 'Eric Gordon') has 10 Field goals attempted, has 5 Field goals made, has 33 Minutes played, has 14 Points"]