Harden used Gordon's screen to mismatch against Green, drawing a shooting foul. He made both free throws to finally score for the Rockets.

But that kind of scoring wasn't enough for them.

With about 9 minutes left in the first quarter, the score was 21 to 10.

The point difference wasn't that big, but the Rockets looked suppressed on the court.

The Pelicans had indeed become weaker, but even weaker, they still beat them the same way they used to.

Although preseason isn't regular season, it hurts morale as much as the Bucks did last year.

Both sides began to rotate players. For the Pelicans, Tang Tian, Green, and Dedmon were replaced by Parker, Kuzma, and Siakam.

For the Rockets, Paul, Gordon, and Capela also went to the bench to rest, replaced by Rivers, Ennis, and Zhou Qi.

D'Antoni walked from the bench to the sideline, reaching out to Harden and making tactical gestures.

This was the Rockets' chance to close the score.

Harden drove past Brogdon for a layup, drawing a shooting foul. He made both free throws, narrowing the gap to 9 points.

Davis's strong attack under the basket was interfered with by Zhou Qi's help defense, causing the shot to miss. Tucker fought hard to secure the defensive rebound.

The Pelicans' offensive possession didn't score.

Back on the other end, it was Harden again, driving to the basket and drawing a shooting foul on Harrell.

He made both free throws again, scoring 4 consecutive points and narrowing the gap to 7.

D'Antoni breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of this.

Brogdon was the Pelicans' sixth man last season and has now been promoted to the starting lineup. With Rose's departure, the Pelicans' bench strength, especially the outside bench, has declined significantly.

During this transition, all they needed to do was collapse the defense.

Parker and Davis ran a pick and roll, and Davis's mid-range shot after the split was a little off.

He hadn't rested and his touch fluctuated with his stamina.

Fortunately, Harrell grabbed the offensive rebound with his hustle, throwing it back to Parker on the outside.

Parker didn't hesitate when he caught the ball, and immediately passed it to the corner.

Kuzma was already in position, and he took a three-pointer before the Rockets could recover.

After losing weight, his release speed was much faster.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, he made a crucial three-pointer!

The fans in the arena erupted in cheers.

Especially some young female fans, who were as excited as if Tang Tian had scored.

There's a popular saying in basketball: an ugly player can make ten shots and only get "wow, awesome," while a handsome player makes one shot and has a group of girls fainting by the sideline.

That's the power of looks. Kuzma isn't as handsome as Tang Tian, but he's still a bit of a looker.

Stevens also stood up and applauded for Kuzma.

The Rockets were collapsing the defense pretty hard during this stretch, so the performance of outside shooters was crucial.

Kuzma's basket was the best reward for his trust.

You have to know that behind Kuzma on the depth chart are Jeff Green and Jae Crowder, both well-known NBA players.

Harden drove to the basket again, drawing a shooting foul on Davis.

It's been two years since the rule changes, and he's adapted to the new rules, entering another realm in drawing fouls.

He made both free throws again, keeping the difference at 8 points.

Parker and Davis ran another pick and roll at the frontcourt, a version of the Wade-Davis pick and roll.

But Parker's technical weakness compared to Walker is his lack of outside shooting, and the Rockets' defense remained relatively collapsed.

This time Parker actively looked for Kuzma, making a quick pass.

Kuzma took a three-pointer, and Ennis rushed out to contest.

With the experience of the last shot, he expanded outward earlier and contested more thoroughly.

But Kuzma faked a shot, blew past him, and broke through to the basket.

Davis saw this and boxed out Zhou Qi and Tucker, and Kuzma scored with a two-handed dunk.

The cheers in the arena exploded.

Old Kuzma, handsome and good at playing!

The reaction of the fans in the arena perfectly matched the saying.

The Pelicans had produced another idol player who was both handsome and good at playing, after Tang Tian.

The Pelicans' bench also erupted in excited shouts.

Tang Tian also smiled and applauded for Kuzma.

These 5 points were crucial.

And the key was that Kuzma had defensive pressure on the outside.

When the Rockets didn't dare to collapse easily, Davis and Siakam continuously broke through to the basket and scored.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 30 to 18, with the Pelicans leading by 12 points.

In this transition period of the bench, Kuzma's performance was quite bright.

His excellent state also continued into the subsequent games.

In the end, the Pelicans easily defeated the Rockets 108-93 in their first preseason game.

Both teams' starters only played half the game.

Kuzma played the entire second half, totaling 30 minutes, contributing a game-high 22 points, with 3 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, a very bright performance.

After the game, fans on social media were buzzing.

"What happened to the Pelicans getting weaker? Although it's just preseason, the Rockets didn't have a chance the whole game, this is too real!"

"Actually, they did get weaker. Last season's Pelicans were the strongest team in history, this season's Pelicans are the strongest team in the league!"

"Green and Brogdon are both underestimated, I think the Pelicans' starting lineup is stronger than the Lakers'!"

"Don't say it, it's all tears. If Green was still on my Spurs, Green, George, Leonard on the wing would be as strong as Tang Tian, Green, Leonard a few years ago!"

"Come on, one preseason game and they're stronger than my Lakers. Wait until they play and see who gets beat to tears!"

"That's right, my Lakers are definitely winning the championship this season, the Pelicans, Spurs, Warriors, these are all stepping stones on the way to the championship!"

"Honestly, after watching this game I'm a Kuzma fan, my Pelicans' handsome twin stars completely outshine the league!"

"Yeah, let's not talk about the games that haven't been played yet, just in terms of looks, my Pelicans are miles ahead of your Lakers."

"This is a basketball game! You think it's a beauty pageant? And will my LeBron and young handsome lose to you?!"

"???"

……

The preseason victory over the Rockets was just the beginning. In the following week, the Pelicans successively defeated the Clippers, Jazz, Nuggets and other teams.

In 6 preseason games, they finished with a record of 6 wins and 0 losses.

Just like the fans were discussing on social media, the Pelicans' strength should have declined significantly after losing Walker and Butler.

But looking at the games, the reality seemed a little different from what was imagined.

Brogdon's performance was even better after entering the starting lineup;

Siakam was also playing more efficiently after getting more opportunities;

Green restored the strength of a top role player, although he didn't shoot much, his three-point shooting percentage in the preseason reached an astonishing 49%;

Even Alexander and Mitchell Robinson, who were still rookies, showed their respective abilities in the games, one really able to break through and the other really able to block shots;

Of course, the most unexpected and surprising thing for everyone was still Kuzma.

In ample time, he averaged 15.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 6 games, with an overall shooting percentage of 45% and a three-point shooting percentage of 40%.

He played like a knock-off Klay Thompson on the preseason stage.