The New Orleans Pelicans' losing streak extends to five as the Houston Rockets dominate offensively and on the boards.
After weeks of feeling good, the New Orleans Pelicans have hit a wall as they drop their fifth-straight on Sunday night with a 134-102 loss to the Houston Rockets.
The Pelicans needed this tough stretch of playoff teams to show them just how far they actually are from having a truly competitive squad. They've had some injury issues pop up again, and now they look like they did in the middle of the year again.
New Orleans drops to 25-51 on the year. That's two more losses than the Memphis Grizzlies, who still sit above them in the standings. The standings might not mean much for the team right now, but the fans are still watching closely, hoping that the Atlanta Hawks' pick stays outside the top four.
This Pelicans offense desperately needs the shooting that Trey Murphy, who has now missed three straight, brings. The Rockets shot New Orleans off the court, making 18-of-43 threes while the Pelicans were just 9-of-28.
That wasn't the only deciding factor, though, as Houston completely dominated the glass as well. They had 56 rebounds to New Orleans' 35.
Alperen Sengun alone had 36 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks with no turnovers. The Pelicans simply could not slow him down. A running theme in these blowout losses has been a mismatch in the frontcourt.
Seungun and Jabari Smith Jr. combined to shoot 9-of-16 from three. When two bigs outshoot the entire opposing team, it becomes hard to beat. No one on New Orleans was able to match the output.
Dejounte Murray had 19, Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey had 18. They were all efficient. The Pelicans just needed more, though.
New Orleans will now have a much-needed three days off before their next game as they will try to crack their five-game losing streak on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.