James Harden (27.5 PPG) and Anthony Davis (24.2 PPG) meet in a meeting of top scorers when the Houston Rockets (53-26) take on the New Orleans Pelicans (43-36). The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 12 and will air on FSN-NO and ROOT-SW.
The Rockets lost a tough one against the Spurs 104-103 on Friday. Trevor Ariza was the best player for the Rockets, contributing 19 points, four rebounds, and one steal. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 90-75 win over the Suns on Friday. Davis led the team in scoring with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Over the last five games, Ariza has really been playing well for the Rockets. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 3.8 three-pointers.
This game should be a matchup of contrasting styles. The Rockets (ranked third in the league in possessions per game) prefer an up-tempo style of play, while the Pelicans (28th) are more half-court-oriented. The Pelicans could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank fourth in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 27.2%. The Rockets, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the league (28th) on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 72.8%.
The Pelicans have won two out of three against the Rockets this season, but dropped their most recent game, a close 95-93 loss. Ariza was a standout player in the game, producing 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three three-pointers.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Rockets enter the game with records of 53-26 Straight Up (SU) and 46-33 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 7-8 SU and 8-7 ATS when playing their division. Something to watch out for is if Houston can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.9 points off turnovers per game.
Across the court, the Pelicans head into the game with records of 45-34 ATS and 43-36 SU. In divisional games, New Orleans has gone 7-7 SU and 9-5 ATS. When it comes to defending the rim, the Pelicans are the best in the league with an average of 6.2 blocks per game. The Pelicans are in for a physical game against Houston. The Rockets are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.1 fouls per game.
Houston won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Pelicans to 6-4 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Pelicans hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Houston held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings. New Orleans did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Houston is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston’s last 5 games at home.
Houston is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games at home.
Houston is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing New Orleans.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston’s last 10 games when playing New Orleans.
Houston is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing New Orleans.
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
Houston is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
New Orleans is an even 7-7 SU against the division, while Houston is 7-8 SU.
New Orleans ranks 16th in points per game with 99.0, while Houston ranks 17th in points allowed with an average of 100.6 given up.
New Orleans ranks 22nd in points per away game with 96.5 points, while Houston ranks 14th in points allowed at home with 97.8.
New Orleans has a solid 30-14 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Houston is 12-14 when it puts up under 100.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a losing 13-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Houston Rockets are 41-12 when they hit the century mark.
New Orleans’ offense and Houston’s defense both rank ninth this season. New Orleans has an offensive rating of 105.0 and Houston has a defensive rating of 100.7.
The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 45.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Houston Rockets have a subpar 13-22 record.
On average, Houston attempts 32.8 three pointers and New Orleans attempts 19.3 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Rockets have a winning 51-24 record while the Pelicans are even at 5-5.
The Houston Rockets rank 27th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.39. The New Orleans Pelicans have a higher A/TO (1.74), ranking eighth.
The Rockets rank 16th in rebounds per game with 43.6, while the Pelicans rank 15th with 43.7 per game.
Houston is ranked 22nd in defensive rebounds, while New Orleans ranks 10th in offensive rebounds.
Houston ranks fifth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.6%. New Orleans has a 10-11 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
