NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points as Houston Rockets win a close game against New Orleans Pelicans

The Houston Rockets won yet another game in a nail clinching contest against the Anthony Davis led, New Orleans Pelicans. The final scoreline was 108-104 in favor of the Rockets.

This match showcased two of the best players in the league and top MVP candidates Anthony Davis and James Harden and promised a major showdown between the two. But that didn't happen as Anthony Davis failed to show up, while James Harden took away the game from the Pelican's grasp.

With this win, the Rockets have made it clear that they have no intentions of missing out on the playoffs or even fight for a low seed. They showed why they should still be feared and reckoned with. And now they are sitting tight on 5th spot in the Western Conference with a record of 20-15, while the Pelicans are almost on their last breath for a chance to a playoff spot with the 14th seed and they have a record of 16-21.

With all that in mind, here are the top takeaways from the game.

#3 Anthony Davis fails to show up

Anthony Davis is everything the Pelicans have. He is their lone superstar and they rely heavily on him to come up with big numbers in every game if they're going to win. No one else really is reliable or trustable for the Pelicans to rely on.

He has been on a tear recently and has been absolutely dominating every team that he faces. But, in this game, he was just not in his groove which cost the Pelicans the match.

So, far Davis has been averaging 28.8ppg, 13reb, 4.6asts, 2.7blks, and 1.7stls. He is also the league leader in player PER. He is also one of the MVP candidates.

#2 The parity in the 3-point shots of both teams

Anthony Davis trying a jumpshot — Anthony Davis trying a

Today's NBA is all centered around a jump shot and especially the 3-point line. A player's worth is only as good as his 3-point shooting unless he's exceptionally freakish like Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James. But even those players need shooters around them to help make their game easier and better.

The current champs Golden State Warriors are so dominant and have been winning back-to-back because they're the best shooting team and have multiple world-class shooters. Houston Rockets also went so deep into the playoffs last year because they were one of the best shooting teams.

And in today's game, Houston made a lot of 3-pointers which ultimately decided the contest for them. In total, they made 16 3s, 7 more than the Pelicans. And they won the contest by only 4-points. This shows how important the 3-point has become now.

#1 The James Harden storm

James Harden has been on a roll. And it seems that no team has his number. They don't seem to have an answer against anything Harden is doing at this point. Even with Chris Paul's injury and the Rockets being heavily short-handed, Houston is on a roll.

And a huge chunk of those win shares goes to Harden. He has scored 40 or more points on 9 different occasions this year. It is 5 more than the second guy in this list. This just goes to show you, what kind of offensive output he is putting out there for his team.

He's truly gifted in whatever he does for his team, and somehow always comes up with ways to put up points. Be it with his amazing abilities to get free throws or his step-back 3s. He knows how to score in chunks and never ceases to amaze.

In the next match, the Rockets will host the Memphis Grizzlies, while the New Orleans Pelicans will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a chance to get back to winning ways.

Edited by Abhinav Munshi