NEW ORLEANS-What a bummer of a beginning to the Boogie-and-Brow era in the Big Easy.
The Pelicans' tandem of newly acquired All-Star DeMarcus Cousins and All-Star Game MVP Anthony Davis was no match for the surging Houston Rockets on Thursday night.
Reserve Lou Williams hit seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in his Rockets debut, and Houston crushed New Orleans, 129-99.
"Nobody expected us to win the championship on our first game. We see the potential. We see what we need to work on," Cousins said. "Houston's a very good team, a very seasoned team. They have their identity and we're trying to find ours right now. It's going to be a process. We've got to go in and work our tails off. I think we'll be
fine."
Davis had 29 points, and Cousins finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds after he was acquired from Sacramento during the break. But New Orleans turned the ball over 20 times couldn't keep pace with the firepower of the Rockets, who hit 20
3-pointers.
Adding injury to insult: Forward Omri Casspi, whom the Pelicans also acquired in the Cousins deal, broke his right thumb after scoring 12 points and is expected to miss about a month.
"Can't catch a break," Casspi said, noting that the injury occurred while he went for a strip on guard Eric Gordon in the third quarter. "Hopefully it's going to heal faster than the projections."
Gordon scored 19 points and Ryan Anderson added 17 in both players' first game in New Orleans since leaving the Pelicans. James Harden had 13 points and 14 assists.