The Pelicans came out hot on Thursday night versus the Rockets, but New Orleans could not hang on to their lead and ultimately fell 109-97.

“We have to be more poised,” Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green said after the loss. “Our guys just need to continue to stay with it.”

After jumping out to an early lead, the Rockets stormed back led by staunch defense and an offense that got buckets when they needed to, going on a 33 to 15 run and flipping the script on the Pels.

“We have to sustain our physicality for 48 minutes,” Green said. “We did it for three quarters, but in the third quarter, they snatched the life out of us.

The Pelicans have not had it easy this season, as injuries and underperformance have kept them under the 20-win plateau late into the season.

With a team mixed with youth and veteran presence, Coach Green understands that this is all a process.

“We’ll go back and watch the tape,” Green said. “It’ll give us an opportunity to make more adjustments.”

The Pels will face off against this same Houston team in H-Town this Sunday looking to get back in the win column with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.