Jeremiah Fears won't ever forget his 19th birthday.
No, he didn't get a victory.
But the New Orleans Pelicans' rookie guard showed why the Pels used a No. 7 overall draft pick on him.
Fears finished with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the Pelicans' 130-128 preseason loss to the Houston Rockets Tuesday night in Birmingham's Legacy Arena.
The Pelicans won their first two preseason games overseas against two teams in Australia’s professional league.
The competition got stiffer Tuesday.
Pelicans coach Willie Green was looking forward to seeing how his team would stack up when it stepped up in weight class against one of the NBA’s best teams last season.
“It will be a good test for us to see how we match up,” Green said at Monday’s practice. “Can we be as physical or more physical? Can we execute against their physicality offensively?”
The Pelicans didn’t quite pass the test as Fears' desperation 30-footer at the buzzer wouldn't go go down. But it was a splendid performance for Fears. The Pels trailed 107-90 with 10:53 remaining. The deficit was still 15 with 4:57 left. Fears scored 14 of his points after that. He made 8 of 15 shots in his first game against an NBA team.
Zion Williamson filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, four steals, four assists and three rebounds. Saddiq Bey scored 16 points off the bench in the Pelicans’ first game since playing in Melbourne, Australia 10 days ago.
The Pelicans’ starting lineup Tuesday was Williamson, Trey Murphy, Jordan Poole, Herb Jones and Yves Missi. The game was a homecoming for Jones, who played his high school and college ball in Alabama. It was Jones’ first preseason action after missing the two wins in Australia due to a left ankle sprain. Center Kevon Looney, signed in the offseason, didn’t dress out and missed the game due to knee soreness.
The Rockets countered with a starting five that included three 6-foot-11 players and another 6-foot-10 player. Their shortest starter was Amen Thompson (6-foot-7). The Rockets outrebounded the Pels 49-46, but the Pels outscored them 74-54 in the paint. The Pelicans struggled shooting from outside though, making only 9 of their 38 3-point attempts.
Pelicans’ guard Jose Alvarado and Houston’s Amen Thompson got into a skirmish in the second quarter, but neither player was ejected.
The Pelicans led 61-60 early in the third quarter, but the Rockets went on a 15-0 run to pull away. The Rockets outscored the Pelicans 42-29 in the quarter. Poole fouled out midway through the third quarter and finished with 10 points and three assists. But in the fourth quarter with the starters on the bench, Fears got going.
The Pelicans will play their final preseason game Thursday in Orlando against the Magic. They open the regular season on Oct. 22 on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies. The home opener at the Smoothie King Center is Oct. 24 against the San Antonio Spurs.