Jeremiah Fears won't ever forget his 19th birthday.

No, he didn't get a victory.

But the New Orleans Pelicans' rookie guard showed why the Pels used a No. 7 overall draft pick on him.

Fears finished with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the Pelicans' 130-128 preseason loss to the Houston Rockets Tuesday night in Birmingham's Legacy Arena.

The Pelicans won their first two preseason games overseas against two teams in Australia’s professional league.

The competition got stiffer Tuesday.

Pelicans coach Willie Green was looking forward to seeing how his team would stack up when it stepped up in weight class against one of the NBA’s best teams last season.

“It will be a good test for us to see how we match up,” Green said at Monday’s practice. “Can we be as physica

See Full Page