It figures to be a high-scoring affair when the Houston Rockets (2-10, 1-8 Away) travel to face the New Orleans Pelicans (6-6, 2-2 Home) on Saturday. Houston was defeated by the Toronto Raptors 116-109 at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. With 21 points, Jalen Green was the leading scorer in defeat.
Alperen Sengun was another key contributor with 17 points and three blocks. The Rockets are 15th in the Western Conference. New Orleans fell short on Thursday at Smoothie King Center, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers 106-95. Zion Williamson had 29 points in the loss to lead the team.
The Pelicans are the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. New Orleans won three out of four games between the teams last season, including a 130-105 triumph in their last meeting at Smoothie King Center on March 13, their third straight head-to-head victory.
Jonas Valanciunas led the Pelicans with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Green had 17 points in the losing effort. The Rockets have been led this season by Green and Kevin Porter Jr., who are averaging 20.8 and 18.8 points per game, respectively. Both are among the NBA’s top scorers, as Green is No. 1 and Porter Jr. is first. Porter Jr. also has dished 6.1 assists per game, most in the league.
Meanwhile, Sengun is grabbing 9.7 rebounds per game. Williamson has powered the Pels’ offense, averaging 23.3 points per game. He is the top scorer in the league. Valanciunas is pulling down 10.6 rebounds per game, most in the NBA, and CJ McCollum is recording 6.3 assists (1st).
The Pelicans and the Rockets are two of the top scoring teams in the league, ranking first and third in points per game, respectively. New Orleans is scoring 116.3 per game, while Houston is averaging 110.3.
The teams have split their last 10 clashes at Smoothie King Center (5-5). In the last 10 games, Houston is 2-8 with an average margin of -7.3 (109.4-116.7). New Orleans has a 4-6 record over the last 10, allowing 114.3 points per game on average while scoring only 114.1 (-0.2 margin).
ROCKETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jabari Smith Jr.: 11.5 | 17.2 | -5.7
Points per game:
KJ Martin: 15.2 | 11.4 | +3.8
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 8.2 | 11.9 | -3.7
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
NO Pelicans -10.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
