Jalen Green scored 30 points in less than 30 minutes on the court, and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 128-111 victory over the hapless and injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans.

The Rockets scored 39 points in the first quarter en route to a blowout victory Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of a back-to-back.

The New Orleans Pelicans lost their eighth consecutive game Thursday night. This one was to a Rockets team that they also lost to one week ago.

The New Orleans Pelicans are on a 9-game losing streak and are 0-4 on their 5-game home stand. They look to get back on track Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Is there a bigger trade for the Pelicans to make, or will they be stuck working on the margins with the new CBA?

Jalen Green scored 30 points, Cam Whitmore added 27 off the bench and the visiting Houston Rockets never trailed during a 128-111 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.

HOUSTON — Jalen Green scored 34 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 133-113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. Green had a season-high 22 points in the third quarter and shot 13 of 22 in the game, including 4 for 10 from beyond the arc. Green entered shooting 31.3% from long distance this season.

For the first time since leaving the court in the first quarter of the Dec. 20 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Heat forward Jimmy Butler is expected to rejoin the team when it practices

Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who and what to play — when it comes to music in my rotation — for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball. Each week, you'll see a compilation of the pickups you need to make,

Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are among those dealing with injuries, while Kawhi Leonard targets January 4 for his season debut.