Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
When: Friday, March 17, 2017, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets (-4.5) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (+4.5); total: 227.5 – view all NBA lines
NBA News & Predictions
- 2017 NBA Draft Expert Picks and Predictions
- 2017 NBA Draft Sleepers
- 2017-18 NBA Championship Odds Update
Betting on the Houston Rockets (47-21)
There’s just no stopping Houston right now. The Rockets stretched their unbeaten run to three games with a resounding 139-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Seven players scored in double-figures for the Rockets who moved to within 6.5 games of the league-leading Golden State Warriors. Leading the way for the Rockets in this game was Lou Williams. He finally broke out of a shooting slump, scoring 30 points on 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Rockets will look to keep the momentum going when they lock horns with the New Orleans Pelicans later tonight. Mike D’Antoni’s men will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well on the road of late. The Rockets have won four of their last five away games, going 5-0 ATS during this stretch. For Houston to grab the victory against New Orleans, it needs James Harden to deliver another solid all-around performance. He recorded his 17th triple-double of the season in the win against the Lakers, finishing with 18 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds.
Houston is 5-5 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 road games against New Orleans.
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans (27-41)
The New Orleans Pelicans had their two-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday with a gut-wrenching 120-112 loss to the Miami Heat. The Pelicans simply had no answer for the bruised and battered Goran Dragic who erupted for a game-high 33 points. The Pelicans will look to get their season back on track when they host the Houston Rockets later tonight.
For New Orleans to accomplish that feat, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. The Pelicans gave up 120 points to Miami, a mere 24 hours after holding Portland to just 77 points. Stopping the Rockets will be easier said than done, though, for the Pelicans as Houston is second in the league in scoring (115.5 PPG) this campaign. The Rockets are 25-1 this season when scoring at least 120 points.
Another source of concern for head coach Alvin Gentry is his team’s ongoing struggles with DeMarcus Cousins. The Pelicans are now 4-7 since that blockbuster trade with Sacramento and will be 5.5 games back of the 8-seed with 14 left to play. New Orleans’ offensive rating with Cousins and Davis on the court at the same time would make for one of the 10 worst scoring offenses in modern NBA history.
New Orleans is 4-6 SU and ATS in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston (-4.5) wins and covers.
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