Josh Hart snags career-high 17 rebounds as Pelicans win fourth straight

It was just about the most Josh Hart sequence imaginable.

Late in the second quarter, the Pelicans’ indefatigable reserve wing was at the free-throw line. He had a chance to convert an old-fashioned three-point play. His shot caromed off the backboard, but he waded into traffic to retrieve the miss, hoisted it, made the shot and got fouled.

For Hart, it was two-straight and-1s. On the second try, he made his free throw, which capped a 17-0 New Orleans run.

Hart was everywhere Tuesday in the Pelicans’ 130-101 win over the Rockets. He was relentless on the glass, drove to the basket with a dash of reckless abandon and made quick defensive rotations. He finished with a 20-point, 17-rebound double-double. The 17 rebounds he pulled down were a career high. 

On a night when Zion Williamson was plagued by foul trouble, his teammates picked up the slack. New Orleans got 57 bench points as it avenged an ugly blowout loss to Houston less than two weeks earlier.

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On Jan. 30, the Pelicans allowed the Rockets to ring up 48 second-quarter points. On Tuesday, they held Houston to 50 points in the first half. New Orleans’ defensive effort was markedly better. Houston shot 13 of 42 from 3-point land. It helped that Victor Oladipo and Christian Wood, the Rockets’ starting shooting guard and starting center, were unavailable.

Lonzo Ball’s recent stretch of strong play continued in the win. On the Pelicans’ first possession of the game, he splashed a 3 from several feet behind the arc. The shot was a sign of the surge in confidence he’s experienced as of late.

At different points in the game, Ball even showed a willingness to slash to the basket and finish inside, something that he struggled with earlier in the season. Ball tallied 15 points, six rebounds and three assists as the Pelicans got their fourth-straight win, which ties their longest winning streak from last season.

New Orleans improved to 11-12. It is right back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race after a dreadful start to the season.

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With 6:37 remaining in the third quarter, Ball sunk a corner 3 that extended New Orleans’ lead to 20. Williamson’s foul trouble was the biggest factor that prevented the Pelicans from running away with the game. He picked up his fourth shortly after halftime. Houston cut the lead to eight with 3:11 remaining in the third, but that was as close as it got.

The Pelicans earned as balanced of a win as they have gotten all season. Seven of their players scored in double figures, including rookie point guard Kira Lewis Jr., who had 10 points in 20 minutes. 

New Orleans won’t have to wait long to try to extend its winning streak. It faces Chicago on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip.

Three points from the New Orleans Pelicans’ 118-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

The reset button was a tempting tool.

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