Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 4/4/21
2021-04-04 20:00:00 EDT
The New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets collide at the Toyota Center on Sunday night.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been in decent shape as they’ve won four of their past seven games, but they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting routed by the Hawks in a 126-103 home loss on Friday. Kira Lewis Jr. led the team in scoring with 21 points on nine of 16 shooting off the bench, James Johnson added 16 points with six assists while Eric Bledsoe chipped in with 14 points with five assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 43 percent from the field and eight of 29 from the 3-point line as they got off to a quick start with 34 points in the first quarter, before getting completely outplayed the rest of the way as they just never threatened again after scoring just 20 points in the second quarter and allowing 39 points in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in terrible shape as they’ve lost 25 of their last 27 games and they will be hoping to avoid a fourth straight loss after falling to the Celtics in a 118-102 road loss on Friday. Christian Wood led the team with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Avery Bradley added 15 points off the bench while Kevin Porter Jr. chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists. As a team, the Rockets shot 43 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they got off to a rocky start after allowing 33 points in the first quarter and things only got worse in the second half where the Celtics poured in another 66 points. DJ Augustin had a rough night as he scored just eight points on one of eight shooting.
Looking at the betting trends, the Pelicans are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games against a team with a losing record. The Rockets are 15-36 ATS in their last 51 games against a team with a losing record, 18-37 ATS in their last 55 home games and 15-37 ATS in their last 52 games overall.
The Pelicans were on a nice run before getting stopped in their tracks by the Hawks on Friday, but they could be severely shorthanded again as Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are all listed as questionable. Eric Gordon and John Wall are still out for the Rockets, so they’re going to be depleted once again. The Pelicans are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games and this is just a game that they have to win if they’re serious about the playoffs.
