Saddiq Bey scored 21 of his season-high 29 points after halftime, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 25-point, third-quarter deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets 133-128 in overtime

Zion Williamson is nearing the end of his time with the New Orleans Pelicans. It may come through a trade. It may come through his non-guaranteed contract, which only guarantees through games played triggers the Pelicans can choose to bypass just by sitting him.

Pelicans rookie Derik Queen registered his third double-double in a win over the Rockets, and he earned praise for the performance afterward.

Houston's second-half defense was an eye sore against one of the league's worst teams, and Udoka wasted no time criticizing it.

Thursday's win felt like the first meaningful steps toward a future that doesn’t involve Williamson as the top priority.

There is always a chance of an upset in the NBA given the baseline talent of all teams, but this tilt ought to be an easy dub for Houston.

The Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans meet Thursday in New Orleans, Louisiana, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m. ET.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Indiana Pacers vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA game to be played on December 20, 2025 on ESPN.

In that third quarter, we didn’t play with enough energy or a sense of urgency,” Rockets star Kevin Durant said. “We weren’t playing together.”

With the 2025-2026 NBA trade season unofficially open as of December 15th, the New Orleans Pelicans find themselves in a position they didn’t expect: the center