New Orleans Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego praised his team’s efforts after Thursday’s 133-128 overtime win against the Houston Rockets, highlighting resilience and physicality as key factors. “Just worth it. Resilient, strong, physical, everything we had talked about the last few weeks,” Borrego said.
Borrego emphasized the team’s reflection of the city’s character, adding, “It’s a team that reflects the city of New Orleans…never drop the sword mentality. I’m not a woe. We’ll just get back to it.” He credited Herb Jones for turning the game around defensively, noting, “He was instrumental in turning that game around…eight steals. He turned the game around with his physicality, aggression and energy. He was phenomenal tonight.”
Saddiq Bey’s performance also received much praise. “He’s been unbelievable all year… making big shots, timely shots. He’s been fantastic,” Borrego said. He explained his decision to keep Bey and the same core group in the fourth quarter and overtime: “That group had momentum and I tend to stay with the momentum… that group had been there for a while… we had plenty of timeouts there… and that’s what we did.”
Borrego highlighted the impact of rookie Derik Queen against Houston’s Alperen Sengun. “He’s passed the test… he’s held his own, made big strides in the paint… as the game goes on, he tends to step up. He likes the big moments and he responded extremely well,” Borrego said.
The coach also noted the leadership of Jones and Trey Murphy. “Those guys have been here…they’ve stepped into these leadership roles…I see that in terms of communication, keeping us steady, not getting too high or too low, just coming in and doing our job,” Borrego said, underscoring their influence in stabilizing the team during a tough start to the season.
Thursday’s win marked a historic comeback as the Pelicans erased a 25-point third-quarter deficit, marking the largest second-half rally in franchise history. Bey scored 29 points, including 21 after halftime, while Murphy added 27 and Jones contributed 18 with a career-high eight steals before fouling out.
Houston was led by Kevin Durant’s 32 points and Sengun’s 28, although missed late free throws allowed New Orleans to tie the game at 117 and force overtime. Queen went on an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to five, before Bey’s dunk brought the Pelicans within one possession.
The Pelicans have now won three straight games after starting 3-22, while Houston’s five-game winning streak came to an end. New Orleans hosts the Indiana Pacers on Saturday and Houston visits the Denver Nuggets.
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