The Houston Rockets (17-52, 11-24 Home) play host to the New Orleans Pelicans (33-36, 11-23 Away) Friday at Toyota Center. New Orleans was defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers 123-108 at Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. Brandon Ingram was the standout player in defeat with 22 points and six assists.
The Pelicans are 12th in the Western Conference. Houston triumphed on Wednesday at Toyota Center, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 114-110. Kevin Porter Jr. had 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists to lead the team. The Rockets are the 15th seed in the Western Conference.
The teams are meeting for the final time this season. After winning both of the earlier season games against Houston, the most recent of which was a 119-108 victory at Smoothie King Center on January 4, their fifth straight head-to-head victory, New Orleans will be pursuing a season sweep. CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 28 points and six assists. KJ Martin had 16 points in defeat.
The Pels have been led this season by McCollum, who is averaging 21.1 points per game. McCollum also has dished 6.0 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 9.5 rebounds.
Jalen Green’s 21.6 points per game have powered the Rockets on offense. Alperen Sengun is posting 8.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. The Rockets have found success in recent clashes between the teams at Toyota Center, winning six of the last 10.
In the last 10 games, New Orleans is 3-7 with an average margin of -5.3 (108.1-113.4). For the season, the Pelicans are averaging 113.9 points per game, compared to 113.5 for opponents. Houston has gone 4-6 over the last 10, allowing 118.7 points per game on average while scoring only 114.6 (-4.1 margin).
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Trey Murphy III: 28.8 | 18.5 | +10.3
Larry Nance Jr.: 9.0 | 15.3 | -6.2
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 21.8 | 13.4 | +8.4
Rebounds per game:
Willy Hernangomez: 2.0 | 5.0 | -3.0
ROCKETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jabari Smith Jr.: 32.6 | 20.8 | +11.8
Points per game:
Jabari Smith Jr.: 21.4 | 12.5 | +8.9
Rebounds per game:
Jabari Smith Jr.: 9.4 | 7.1 | +2.3
Assists per game:
Kevin Porter Jr.: 7.5 | 5.9 | +1.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
NO Pelicans -5.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
