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The Houston Rockets will play the first half of a back-to-back tonight (January 4) when they travel to Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The two teams are at opposite ends of the standings.
Houston is last in the Western Conference, sitting two games behind the San Antonio Spurs. They have lost nine of their last ten games, including their last four in what has been a forgettable season.
Meanwhile, New Orleans is only one game outside the top spot in the West. The Pelicans have lost their last two but have an active four-game winning streak at home, where they have gone 16-4.
On paper, this seems like a lopsided matchup, but there's a reason teams play every night. Let's see who comes out on top tonight.
Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Match Details
Fixture: Houston Rockets @ New Orleans Pelicans
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 4; 8:00 pm EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center
Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report
The Houston Rockets only have one player ruled out tonight, while the Pelicans will have four players unavailable tonight. Among the unavailable players for New Orleans are Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, two key pieces to their roster.
Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
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Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Starting 5s
Rockets: PG - Kevin Porter, SG - Jalen Green, SF - Eric Gordon, PF - Jabari Smith, C - Alperen Sengun
Pelicans: PG - CJ McCollum, SG- Trey Murphy III, SF - Herbert Jones, PF - Jaxson Hayes, C - Jonas Valanciunas
Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction
The New Orleans Pelicans will be shorthanded, but that's been their default for most of the season. They're 12-6 without Brandon Ingram and 6-2 without Zion Williamson.
The only meeting between these teams this season was in New Orleans in November, which saw a comfortable 13-point win for the Pelicans. New Orleans is frankly the much better team and should easily handle business again against a floundering Houston squad, even without two of their stars.
Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans -7.0 (-110)
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