Rockets spoil Cousins debut with Pelicans
(The Sports Xchange) - Newly acquired guard Lou Williams scored a team-high 27 points to lead six players in double figures, and the Houston Rockets forced 20 turnovers to spoil the Twin Towers debut of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins with a 129-99 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
The Rockets led by as many as 35 points in the third quarter and coasted to the victory by making 20 of 51 from behind the arc. Other Rockets in double figures were Eric Gordon (19), Ryan Anderson (17), Clint Capela (13), James Harden (13) with 14 assists and Montrezl Harrell (10).
Davis led the Pelicans with 29 points, and Cousins, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Sacramento Kings last Sunday, scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his New Orleans debut. LeBron James notched his sixth triple-double of the season, and Cleveland beat New York for the 10th consecutive time.
James finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists, the 48th regular-season triple-double of his career. Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 23 points, while Kyle Korver scored 20 points off the bench and connected on six 3-pointers.
The Knicks were led by 25 points from Courtney Lee and 20 from Carmelo Anthony. Derrick Rose scored 13. Rumors swirled for weeks that either Anthony or Rose could be traded; neither was by dealt by the NBA’s Thursday deadline. including 17 in a fourth-quarter comeback, to lead Portland to a victory over Orlando.
The Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak despite trailing for most of the game. The Magic lost for the sixth time in seven games. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in 33 points, including 27 after halftime, and Detroit rallied from an 18point, second-half deficit to down Charlotte in overtime.
Tobias Harris fired in 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Pistons, who handed the Hornets their fifth straight loss overall and 12th straight on the road. Ish Smith tied his career high with 16 assists and Marcus Morris added 16 points and eight rebounds for Detroit.