New Orleans Pelicans: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

4. Pelicans knock off Houston Rockets, but lose Boogie for the rest of the season

The Pelicans had an added sense of motivation heading into this matchup against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 26. First of all, the Rockets were considered to be an elite team during the regular season. Secondly, the Rockets had beaten the Pelicans seven of the previous nine games between the two ball clubs, including a 130-123 victory back in mid-December.

The Pelicans built up a 20-point lead, only to watch the Rockets storm back to make things interesting in the fourth quarter. Leading by four points (113-109) with 15 seconds to play, Cousins attempted to make a hustle play after missing a free throw.

Although this was a valiant attempt to help the Pelicans secure the victory, his effort led to him injuring his Achilles and being lost for the rest of the season.

Yes, the home team held on for a 115-113 win, which marked the first Rockets’ loss with the trio of James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela all in uniform; but it would be the Pelicans who suffered the greater loss, even if it was their seventh win over the last eight games.