Houston Rockets (10-27) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (23-14)
January 4, 2023 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: New Orleans Pelicans -7.5; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans collide at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night.
The Houston Rockets have been in a real slump as they’ve lost nine of their last 10 games overall and they will be hoping to snap a four-game skid after getting stopped by the Mavericks in a 111-106 loss on Monday. Kevin Porter Jr. led the team with 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, Jalen Green added 20 points while Eric Gordon chipped in with 19 points. As a team, the Rockets shot 46 percent from the field and nine of 29 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Mavericks from the start and built an early 18-point lead, but they couldn’t maintain that pace and managed just 19 points in the fourth quarter to allow the Mavericks to slip away in the end.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in a bit of a rut as they’ve lost six of their last 11 games and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight loss after falling to the 76ers in a 120-111 road loss on Monday. Zion Williamson led the team with 26 points with six rebounds and seven assists before injuring his hamstring, CJ McCollum added 26 points with six assists while Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. As a team, the Pelicans shot 50 percent from the field and 11 of 29 from the 3-point line which was enough to hang with the 76ers until the fourth quarter where they allowed 36 points to allow the 76ers off the hook in a close contest.
Looking at the betting trends, the Rockets are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against a team above .600. The Pelicans are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games and 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a loss.
Head to head, the under is 21-8-1 in the last 30 meetings in New Orleans, the Rockets are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in New Orleans and the Rockets are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings overall.
The Rockets are coming into this one almost at full strength as the only player they are missing is Jae’Sean Tate, while the Pelicans are missing Larry Nance Jr, Brandon Ingram and now Zion Williamson. The Rockets have been in poor form and they have little to play for, but they almost beat the Mavericks on Monday and are more than capable of beating a depleted Pelicans team. I still have the Pelicans getting the win at home, but I’d rather side with the Rockets and the points in a game they could win outright.
