Expect a low-scoring game when the New Orleans Pelicans (4-14) and Houston Rockets (7-11) square off at the Toyota Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and can be seen on NBA, RSW and FSN.
The Rockets are hoping for a better outcome after their 116-105 loss to the Pistons on Monday. James Harden was the team’s leading scorer with 29 points. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 113-104 loss against the Grizzlies on Tuesday. New Orleans still lost despite the best efforts of Tyreke Evans, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 assists.
Over the last five games, Harden has taken his game to another level for the Rockets, averaging 33.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.2 three-pointers. Anthony Davis has been hot for the Pelicans. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 25.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.6 blocks.
The Rockets are a six-point favorite against New Orleans and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 212 points. The Rockets come into this game 7-11 Straight Up (SU) and 4-14 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 1-9 ATS. The Rockets are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 21.0 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Pelicans have a record of 6-12 ATS and 4-14 SU. Against the Western Conference, New Orleans is 4-9 SU and 5-8 ATS.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the divisional foes. Their previous game was a Rockets victory, bumping their SU record to 6-4 over the Pelicans in their last 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Pelicans hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – NO, O/U – Over
Notes
Houston is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games.
Houston is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games.
Houston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Houston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston’s last 11 games when playing New Orleans.
Houston is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing New Orleans.
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
New Orleans is even against Southwest Division teams (2-2), but Houston has lost all of its games against the division (0-3).
New Orleans ranks 12th in points per game with 101.7, while Houston ranks 28th in points allowed with an average of 107.9 given up.
New Orleans scores an average of 95.3 points per away game (ranked 23rd). Houston ranks 29th in points allowed per home game with 108.1.
New Orleans is an even 1-1 when allowing fewer than 100 points in a game. With a 0-9 record, Houston is winless when scoring less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pelicans are just 3-13 this season. Houston is a superb 7-2 when registering triple digits.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 107.8 (ranked 27th), while the Pelicans rank 15th for their offensive rating of 101.7.
Houston has an average field goal percentage of 42.2%. New Orleans is a subpar 2-14 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Houston is 26th and 21st in the league for FG% and EFF% respectively, while New Orleans is 17th and 13th in these categories.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans make 21.8 assists per game and the Houston Rockets make 20.2. New Orleans is ranked 12th, while Houston is ranked 20th.
The Houston Rockets average 5.8 blocks per game for a rank of 10th. The New Orleans Pelicans rank lower (16th), earning 4.9 blocks each game.
The Houston Rockets rank fifth in offensive rebounding, while the New Orleans Pelicans rank 23rd in defensive rebounding.
Averaging 9.9 steals per game, the Houston Rockets are ranked second in the league. The New Orleans Pelicans are a winless 0-4 this season when their opponents commit 9 or more steals.
