The Pelicans, who won for the seventh time in their last eight games, had won three consecutive games on four previous occasions, but each time lost as they tried to win their fourth in a row.
With less than 10 seconds remaining, Pelicans All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was helped off the court after suffering a non-contact left leg injury. ESPN, citing league sources, reports that the Pelicans believe he has a torn ACL and will be out for the season.
Cousins had his second triple-double in three games, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
Jrue Holiday scored 21 points, including a tiebreaking basket with 1:04 remaining, and Darius Miller came off the bench to score 20. E-Twaun Moore added 13 points.
Two former New Orleans guards, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon, led the Southwest Division-leading Rockets with 38 and 27 points, respectively. James Harden scored 23, as Houston's four-game winning streak ended.
The score was tied at 109 when Holiday drove toward the basket and made a 10-foot floater with 1:04 remaining. After a Harden miss, Cousins' basket gave New Orleans a 113-109 lead with 15 seconds left.
Davis fouled Paul on a missed 3-pointer with eight seconds left, and Paul made all three free throws to get Houston within a point.
Miller made two free throws for a three-point lead with four seconds left, then he fouled Harden with one second left. Harden made the first free throw, missed the second and the rebound went out of bounds to the Pelicans.
Holiday was fouled and missed both free throws, but Dante Cunningham grabbed the rebound for New Orleans .
The Pelicans led by 13 at halftime and built the lead to 21 in the third quarter before Paul took over late in the quarter. He wound up with 10 points in the period, and Houston closed the gap to 90-80 after three quarters.
Gordon made three 3-pointers and Miller made two before Paul's layup and free throw pulled the Rockets within 96-92.
Davis made a free throw and DeAndre Liggins added a 3-pointer to give New Orleans a 100-92 lead.
Harden made three free throws and Gordon one, but baskets by Cousins and Moore left the Pelicans with a 104-96 lead with four minutes remaining.
Trevor Ariza and Paul made back-to-back 3-pointers and Luc Mbah a Moute added a layup that pulled the Rockets even with 2:34 left.
Davis made two free throws and Miller hit a 3-pointer, but the Rockets evened things for the last time as Harden made a jumper and Ariza hit a 3-pointer.
Davis scored 16 first-quarter points, but Paul and Gordon scored 11 each to help give the Rockets a 30-29 lead after one period.
Cousins scored eight second-quarter points as New Orleans built a 15-point lead before settling for a 66-53 halftime lead.
--Field Level Media
Houston | New Orleans | |
Chris Paul 38 | Scoring | Anthony Davis 27 |
James Harden 11 | Assists | DeMarcus Cousins 11 |
Clint Capela 10 | Rebounds | DeMarcus Cousins 13 |
James Harden 12 | Free Throws Made | Anthony Davis 7 |
PJ Tucker 4 | Steals | DeMarcus Cousins 3 |
Clint Capela 1 | Blocks | Anthony Davis 5 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Houston | 113 | 46.2 | 12-36 | 29-35 | 22 | 35 | 2 | 10 | 13 |
New Orleans | 115 | 53.7 | 11-27 | 16-21 | 36 | 42 | 5 | 8 | 16 |