James Harden Drops 40, Outduels Zion Williamson as Rockets Beat Pelicans

The first-ever showdown between James Harden and Zion Williamson belonged to Harden on Sunday, as the Houston Rockets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 117-109 at the Toyota Center in Houston.  

By virtue of Sunday's win, Houston improved to 31-18 on the season and broke its recent trend of alternating wins and losses with its second consecutive victory. Meanwhile, the Pelicans fell to 20-30 and saw their three-game winning streak get snapped.

With star center Clint Capela out injured for the second consecutive game, the Rockets went small again with no starter taller than 6'6". That meant the game was largely in Harden's hands, and he delivered with a game-high 40 points.

While Zion and the Pels came out on the losing end, the superstar rookie enjoyed another strong outing in just the sixth regular-season game of his career with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a career-high 33 minutes.

Although New Orleans out-shot Houston from the field 44.7 percent to 39.0 percent and out-rebounded the Rockets 63-43, the Pelicans turned the ball over 21 times to the Rockets' seven, which was likely the biggest difference-maker in Houston's victory.

Notable Stats

Zion Williamson, F, NO: 8-of-14, 21 PTS, 10 REB

Brandon Ingram, F, NO: 10-of-23, 28 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST, 5 3PM

Josh Hart, G, NO: 5-of-11, 16 PTS, 10 REB, 3 3PM

Lonzo Ball, G, NO: 3-of-7, 10 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST, 3 STL

James Harden, G, HOU: 12-of-24, 40 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST, 7 3PM

Russell Westbrook, G, HOU: 9-of-24, 22 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB

Ben McLemore, G, HOU: 6-of-12, 22 PTS, 4 3PM

Danuel House Jr., F, HOU: 5-of-14, 12 PTS, 12 REB

Harden Drops 40 as Rockets Hold Off Mistake-Prone Pelicans

While much of the focus in the sports world will be on the Super Bowl LIV matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, two of the biggest stars in the NBA took center stage before the big game in Miami.

Harden entered Sunday's contest in a bit of a slump, as he shot 40.0 percent or worse from the field in seven of his previous eight games, but he came out of the gates firing in the first half against New Orleans nonetheless.

By halftime, Harden had poured in 26 points, including five three-pointers, to help give Houston a 65-60 lead:

At that point, Rockets play-by-play announcer Craig Ackerman felt it was safe to say that Harden had once again found his rhythm:

Ackerman may have spoke too soon, though, as Harden netted just three points in the third quarter, which allowed New Orleans to mount a comeback.

New Orleans out-scored Houston by six in the third quarter to take a one-point lead entering the fourth, and the play of both Williamson and All-Star wing Brandon Ingram played a major role.

Zion showed off especially good chemistry with point guard Lonzo Ball, as they connected on a couple of impressive alley-oops during the game:

That prompted Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports to comment on how well Zion and Lonzo's skill sets seem to complement each other:

Former NBA star Kendrick Perkins also marveled at Williamson's ability and effort in all facets:

Although Zion received much of the attention Sunday, it can be argued that Ingram was the best player on the floor for New Orleans. That has been a common theme for the Pels throughout the season with Williamson on the shelf for much of it.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was among those who liked what they saw out of Ingram in the third quarter in particular:

The momentum was on the Pelicans' side entering the fourth after their strong performance in the third, but Houston battled back and regained the lead on a triple from Danuel House Jr. with under nine minutes left in the game:

Harden went back to work from there with a bounce-back quarter to finish with 40 points on the game to give Houston a big home win.

What's Next?

Houston will be a significant favorite in its next outing when it hosts the struggling Charlotte Hornets—losers of 10 of their past 11 games—on Tuesday.

The Pelicans figure to have a much tougher matchup Tuesday when they host a Milwaukee Bucks team that owns the NBA's best record at 41-7.