The Houston Rockets (20-9) travel to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans (5-25) on Thursday, December 26th. This game will be played at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans and televised on SCHN. The Rockets are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pelicans are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pelicans. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.

Rockets vs Pelicans

The Rockets Are Coming Off A Win

Houston improved to 20-9 on the season with a 114-101 road win over the Hornets on Monday. The Rockets, favored by 6 points, covered the spread, while the game’s total of 215 points fell short of the 221-point over/under line.

A 14-0 run early in the game helped Houston take control, as they outscored Charlotte 31-15 in the 1st quarter and 31-16 in the 2nd. The Hornets made a push in the 2nd half, winning both the 3rd and 4th quarters 35-30, but the Rockets’ 92-66 lead heading into the final period proved too much to overcome.

The Pelicans Are Coming Off A Win

The Pelicans fell to 5-25 on the season after a 132-129 loss to the Nuggets on Sunday. Despite being +8.5 point underdogs at home, New Orleans kept it close, losing by just three. The game’s total score of 261 points went well over the pre-game line of 231.5.

New Orleans seemed poised for an upset, leading 93-81 going into the 4th quarter after winning the first three quarters. However, they were outscored 38-26 in the final period, allowing Denver to come back and take the win.

Rockets Offense Breakdown

Jabari Smith Jr. led the Rockets with 21 points and 11 rebounds in their win over the Hornets, shooting 50% from the field and hitting 2 threes at 40%. Fred VanVleet added 20 points and 6 assists, also shooting 50% and making 3 threes at 37.5%. Amen Thompson contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 50% and hitting 2 threes at 33.3%.

As a team, the Rockets made 13 threes, shooting 31% from beyond the arc, and finished with a 43.4% field goal percentage overall. VanVleet scored 12 of his 20 points in the 1st quarter, while Smith had 8 points in the 3rd and 6 more in the 4th. Cam Whitmore also scored 8 points in the 4th quarter, finishing with 17 points in the game.

Pelicans Offense Breakdown

In their 132-129 loss to the Nuggets, the Pelicans shot 46.3% from the field and 30% from three-point range, hitting 12 threes. Jordan Hawkins led the way with 25 points, making 5 threes at 38.5%, while CJ McCollum added 24 points and 9 assists, connecting on 4 threes at 40%.

Yves Missi was efficient, scoring 21 points on 75% shooting. Trey Murphy also contributed 21 points, with 9 coming in the first quarter. McCollum and Missi both added 2 points in overtime, while Dejounte Murray scored 8 of his 17 points in the 4th quarter and added 2 more in the extra period.

Rockets Team Defense

The Rockets set the tone early on defense, holding the Hornets to just 15 points in the 1st quarter and 16 in the 2nd. Despite giving up 35 points in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, Houston’s defense held Charlotte to 101 points overall.

Houston limited the Hornets to 41% shooting from the field, including just 27% from beyond the arc, allowing only 10 three-pointers. The Rockets also recorded 8 blocked shots in the game.

Pelicans Team Defense

The Rockets’ defense was dominant in the 1st and 2nd quarters, giving up just 15 and 16 points, respectively, to help secure a 114-101 win over the Hornets. Despite allowing 35 points in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, Houston held Charlotte to 41% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Rockets limited the Hornets to just 10 made threes on 27% shooting. Houston also sent Charlotte to the line 24 times, where they converted 17 free throws. The Rockets finished with 39 defensive rebounds, gave up 11 offensive boards, and recorded 8 blocks.

Rockets vs Pelicans Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Houston has an ATS record of 2-3 while averaging 106 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• Across the Pelicans last ten home games, the team averaged 102 points per game while allowing 121. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 3-7, while going 0-10 straight-up.
• As the betting underdog, the Pelicans have an ATS mark of just 2-3 in their last five games. New Orleans posted a straight up mark of 0-5 in these matchups.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Rockets have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 8-2.

Rockets vs Pelicans Prediction

Our bet is on the Rockets for a win, and we project the score to be 121-113. Additionally, we expect them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to wager on the Rockets with the spread at -7.5.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 220.5 and given that our model is projecting 234 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.