Pelicans blow out Rockets behind steals and role players: 3 takeaways

Pelicans’ role players finally step up

It was a big night for the Pelicans’ role players, most of whom have been inconsistent this season.

Jose Alvarado (who has probably been the Pels’ most consistent bench player) had 16 points, 10 assists and six steals for the first double-double of his career.

He always brings the energy off the bench, and did it again last night, getting a couple of steals that led directly to fast breaks, including this one, which nearly brought the house down:

https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1503178181813055495

Naji Marshall added 17 points and 10 rebounds in a starting role, which was nice to see, as he has had some rough nights shooting the ball. He still went just 1-of-5 from 3-point range and is shooting just 20 percent on the season.

Willie Hernangomez scored 12 points and added six rebounds and four assists, Devonte’ Graham was in double digits, so it was the kind of team effort the Pels needed on a night without their two top scorers.