The Rockets and Pelicans meet again, this time without the long bus ride.
Rockets forward Ryan Anderson didn’t try to secretly reroute the Pelicans to a hotel in, say, Beaumont or Huntsville or College Station as payback for what happened a week ago in New Orleans. But he chuckled on Thursday before practice at the whimsical idea.
“Maybe an hour-and-ahalf away, on a bus …” Anderson said, mulling the college-town options.
A week ago on Saint Patrick’s Day, the Rockets had to stay in Baton Rouge, La., because of the lack of hotel availability around New Orleans. They rode a bus on game day to New Orleans — about as old school as it can get for an otherwise jet-setting NBA squad.
The Pelicans, even without new addition DeMarcus Cousins, promptly routed the Rockets 128-112 last Friday at Smoothie King Center.
The Rockets (49-22), who haven’t played since a 125-124 home victory on Monday against Denver, earn a chance at payback against the Pelicans (30-41) on Friday night at Toyota Center — even if New Orleans will be staying comfortably close to the Rockets’ home.
“They got us up there last time we played them,” said Rockets guard James Harden, who despite the loss had 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
To a man, however, the Rockets said Thursday they don’t care who they’re playing with 11 games left in the regular season. The idea is simply to improve on what has been a much improved team from a year ago, and with the third seed in the Western Conference all but locked up behind Golden State and San Antonio.
“From here on out, no matter who we play our focus is on getting better, improving in areas that we’re not really consistent in and preparing ourselves for the postseason,” Harden said. “We’re just trying to win games, and win games the right way.”
‘We’re dangerous’
As for that memorable bus ride across the swamps to New Orleans?
“We shouldn’t let something like that affect us,” Anderson said. “But an hour-and-a-half ride on a bus on game day? Not the most fun, not the best on your legs, but whatever. Stuff like that happens.”
The only thing making the bus ride more bearable was what Anderson alluded to Thursday that has helped make the team so successful this season — the chumminess of the players.
“We love playing on the court with each other, and
we’re dangerous,” Anderson said. “We have a lot of different weapons. … You don’t come across a team that (close) very often in the NBA.”
The Pelicans, buoyed by the home win over one of the NBA’s top teams, have won two home games since, against Minnesota and Memphis. Cousins sat out the last game against the Rockets with a sore left knee and a rib contusion but played against the Timberwolves and Grizzlies. He teams up with Anthony Davis to give New Orleans what should be one of the league’s top
frontcourts moving forward, providing they continue to willingly share the spotlight.
“There’s always an adjustment period, but they’ve been playing better of late,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said of New Orleans’ new power duo. “They’re two really good players — they’re a handful.”
And Anderson said the Pelicans will be eager to try to show last Friday was no fluke, with or without an I-10 bus junket.
“They played a great game, one of the best games they played all season,” Anderson said. “They moved the ball really well and were very aggressive. We can imagine them coming out like that again. They’re hungry against us, and I’m sure they want to beat us out here (in Houston).
“We’re going to take care of business and bring our ‘A’ game.”
‘On a mission’
The Rockets on Friday night are gunning for their third 50-plus win season in the past four years, following last year’s 41-41 finish and 4-1 first-round exit against the Warriors. Barring a big-time change in the standings, the Rockets likely will stay behind Golden State and San Antonio and ahead of Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference pecking order.
“We’re always trying to get better in different areas,” D’Antoni said of what’s left to work on. “We’re in a good place right now, mentally. They’ve been on a mission all year.”
A mission that included one memorable 90-minute bus ride, even if a grinning Anderson was still trying to put it in his rearview mirror a week later.