Rockets beat Pelicans 130-128 as Thompson-Alvarado scuffle breaks out

The Houston Rockets held off the New Orleans Pelicans 130-128 on Tuesday night in a high-intensity preseason game at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, a contest that featured a heated on-court confrontation between Rockets forward Amen Thompson and Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and marked Kevin Durant’s second preseason appearance with Houston. The game kept the Rockets unbeaten in the preseason and served as a tuneup ahead of a scheduled meeting with the defending champions later this month.

The skirmish occurred in the second quarter during a battle for a rebound. The two players became entangled, fell to the floor and exchanged shoves before teammates intervened to separate them. Alvarado was assessed a technical foul and a loose-ball foul; Thompson was assessed a flagrant 1 foul. Neither player was ejected. Both were seen embracing after the final buzzer, and no immediate suspensions were announced. The incident may be subject to review by the NBA, as is customary after physical confrontations.

Thompson finished the night with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes, while Alvarado contributed eight points, three rebounds and two assists coming off the...