(SportsNetwork. Nike Vapormax Plus Sunset .com) - The Houston Rockets will try to build some momentum Friday night when they visit the Smoothie King Center to face the New Orleans Pelicans. The Rockets ended a two-game slide in impressive fashion on Wednesday. They clobbered the over-matched Charlotte Hornets, 102-83, thanks to a big night from James Harden. The MVP candidate made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 36 points to lead the Rockets. Harden also had seven rebounds and six assists for the Rockets and has scored at least 28 points in his last five games. He leads the NBA with 27.7 ppg. I felt real comfortable. My shot felt good all night, Harden said. Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Houston, which went 17-of-43 from beyond the arc. Dwight Howard contributed 11 points and eight rebounds. The newest Rockets - Josh Smith and Corey Brewer - didnt do much on Wednesday. They scored five points each on a combined 4-for-15 shooting, but the Rockets did the job on defense. Houston held the Hornets to 38.2 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from long range. The Rockets forced 18 turnovers and are third in opponents scoring and fifth in opponents field goal percentage. Their defense is good, really good actually, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. The Pelicans have alternated wins and losses over their last eight games to stay at .500. New Orleans has won two straight in the Big Easy, but lost last time out. The Pelicans fell Wednesday in San Antonio, 95-93, in overtime against the defending champion Spurs. New Orleans had taken an 84-82 edge on Anthony Davis second-chance slam with 0.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Pelicans Omer Asik inadvertently tipped in Boris Diaws inbounds pass for Tim Duncan as the buzzer sounded to force extra time. The Pelicans recovered to start the overtime strong, putting forth a 7-2 run capped by Davis steal that led to a run-out layup by Jimmer Fredette that gave New Orleans a 91-86 advantage. Manu Ginobili scored the next five points, however, and Danny Green blocked Tyreke Evans going to the hoop and was fouled on the rebound with 40.3 seconds to play. He hit 1-of-2 free throws to put San Antonio up 91-90. Davis then took matters into his own hands, going strong to the basket and converting a layup while being fouled with 36.7 seconds on the clock. He missed the free throw, however, and Tim Duncan found a cutting Ginobili on the ensuing possession for the go-ahead points. Evans then misfired on a 3- point try and Duncan came down with the rebound to seal the outcome. I just feel bad for our guys, said Pelicans head coach Monty Williams. To fight like we did on a back-to-back and have the game in your hands and losing it in regulation like that, then fighting like heck in overtime and not be able to pull it out. Davis had 21 points, 12 boards and four steals to pace the Pelicans. Ryan Anderson also recorded a double-double for New Orleans, amassing 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jrue Holiday posted 13 points and nine assists in the loss. The Pelicans beat the Rockets in Houston on Dec. 18 and have won two straight in this series. New Orleans has won four of its last six hosting Houston. Nike Vapormax Plus Orange . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. Nike Vapormax Plus Black . Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. http://www.vapormaxplus.com/ . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Ryan Brauns acknowledgement that he used performance-enhancing drugs was welcomed in the Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse, where players hope it helps to heal some of the pain caused by his actions and a resulting 65-game suspension. "I thought it was a good first step on the road to redemption, I guess you could say," catcher Jonathan Lucroy said Friday before the start of a series against the Cincinnati Reds. Braun released a statement Thursday night acknowledging for the first time that he used a cream and a lozenge containing banned substances while recovering from an injury in 2011, when he won the National Leagues MVP award. Several Brewers, including Lucroy, have stayed in touch with Braun by phone since he agreed to Major League Baseballs suspension on July 22. Lucroy expects Braun to have a news conference at some point to answer questions. For now, the statement sufficed. "It certainly was enough for me," manager Ron Roenicke said. "I think its enough for his teammates. Hes made some calls to his teammates. "I think no matter what he says, theres going to be some negative from a lot of people still: He didnt say enough (or) he didnt explain himself enough. I think he did. And I also think there are some things he probably still cant say. As I read into how he said it, I think there are some things that probably he cant bring up. Thats OK with me." Reliever John Axford said the statement should bring some closure. "Knowing Ryan and understanding Ryan, Im going to be able to move forward and I hope other people will be able too," Axford said. Brauns statement didnt provide any detail about exactly what substances he used or who provided them. Roenicke said Brauns probably limited in what he can say for now because of the legal ramifications. His suspension resulted from Major League Baseballs investigation of Biogenesis of America, a clinic that was accused of providing banned substances to major leaguers. Nike Vapormax Plus White. The clinic is now closed. Braun took full responsibility in his statement and apologized to numerous people. Lucroy said Braun will be welcomed back quicker by his teammates than he will be by others outside the team, even though he had misled his teammates as well. "I dont think its going to be that difficult in here," Lucroy said. "I think the outside, of course, is going to be harder to deal with. Within the clubhouse, I dont think so. If he comes back and is a good teammate and performs and contributes to the team winning, I dont see why he wont be welcomed back with open arms. "Im sure he will because hes very talented." Axford said hes already moved beyond the matter. "You can be upset, you can be angry, but in the clubhouse here were close," Axford said. "Were friends. Were family. And you have to have faith and belief and trust in your family. "If you want to move past it, you have to be able to forgive, and thats where Im at," Axford added. "Im in the position where I want to be able to forgive and move past this and talk to Ryan like our friends and family." Roenicke agreed that Braun will have a tougher time being forgiven by those outside the club. "This is a nice man," Roenicke said, sitting on the bench in the visitors dugout at Great American Ball Park during batting practice. "He is. This is a nice young man that messed up. Thats what it is. "And hes got a long road ahead of him. Im sure hell be yelled at at all of the stadiums hell go to next year," Roenicke added. "Hes going to have things continually written about him. But its a first step, I think, in trying to get through this, probably trying to heal up some relationships, whether its the fans, whether its his good friends, whether its his teammates. "I think this is a nice step toward that," he said. ' ' '