Harden used Gordon's screen to force a mismatch against Green, drawing a hand-check foul from him. After making both free throws, the Rockets finally got on the board.
But that was far too little scoring for them.
Around the nine-minute mark of the first quarter, the score was 21-10.
The gap was not huge, but the Rockets looked stifled on the court.
The Pelicans had indeed weakened, but even weakened, they were still toying with the Rockets just like before.
Pre-season was not the Regular Season, but just like the Bucks last year, this was a serious blow to morale.
Both teams gradually went to their rotations. On the Pelicans' side, Tang Tian, Green, and Dedmon were substituted out, while Parker, Kuzma, and Siakam checked in.
On the Rockets' side, Paul, Gordon, and Capela also headed to the bench, with Reeves, Ennis, and Zhou Qi coming in.
D'Antoni walked from the bench to the sideline and made a tactical gesture toward Harden.
This was the Rockets' chance to cut into the score.
Harden drove past Brogdon for a layup and drew a hand-check foul from him. He made both free throws and trimmed the deficit to 9 points.
Davis's hard attack at the basket was thrown off by Zhou Qi's help defense and missed. Tucker battled to secure the defensive rebound.
The Pelicans failed to score on that possession.
Coming back the other way, it was Harden again, driving in and drawing another hand-check foul from Harrell.
He made both free throws again, scoring four straight points to cut the gap to 7.
Only then did D'Antoni breathe a sigh of relief.
Brogdon had been the Pelicans' Sixth Man last season, but now he had been promoted to the starting lineup. Combined with Rose's departure, the Pelicans' bench strength, especially