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The New Orleans Pelicans hit the road to take on the Houston Rockets in a Southwest Division showdown on Tuesday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Pelicans At A Crossroads
The New Orleans Pelicans have suddenly find themselves at a crossroads. At 22-28 on the season, New Orleans is struggling to find the form that put them in the second round of the playoffs last season. To make matters worse, it has been reported that superstar Anthony Davis, who is currently nursing a hand injury, has requested to be traded.
New Orleans is the 3rd highest scoring team in the league at 116.6 points per game. They are also 4th in passing at 26.8 assists per game and 8th in rebounding at 46.7 boards per contest. However, the Pelicans are only 26th in scoring defense at 115.1 points per game allowed.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets 1/29/19
Moneyline Odds: Pelicans +425, Rockets -550
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/29/19
Getting CP 3 Back
The Houston Rockets have held court while Chris Paul was away. Houston climbed from outside the picture to the 5th spot in the West behind James Harden’s current 30-point streak. Paul recently returned to action during the Rockets’ most recent game, a win over the magic. With Paul back and Harden cooking, the Rockets hope to make one final push to get back on top of the team standings.
The Rockets are 13th in the league in scoring at 112.2 points per game scored. Houston is also 15th in scoring defense at 110.7 points per game allowed. However, Houston ranks just 28th in the NBA in passing at 20.7 assists per game and 26th in rebounding at 41.9 boards per contest.
Who Wins?
The Pelicans are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. The Pelicans are 2-4 SU in six road games over that period. The Rockets are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played. Houston is 5-2 SU in seven games during that stretch. Head to head, the Rockets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Pelicans.
The Rockets have dealt with injuries to key starters Chris Paul and recently, Clint Capela. But the Rockets have managed to rise to 5th in the Western Conference team standings behind the herculean effort of James Harden. Harden’s current streak of 30-point games is nothing short of remarkable. The only problem with this is how long he can sustain it.
Good thing for Houston though is that they have Chris Paul back. Paul scored 12 points in his first game back and he looks to have recovered well from his injury. Paul’s return should help Harden with the playmaking load, giving the Beard the opportunity to focus on scoring. That said, the Rockets have been solid at home at 19-7 SU while the Pelicans are 7-20 SU on the road this season.
I’m picking the Houston Rockets to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on 129/19.
Other Bets To Make
New Orleans is 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played and 3-2-1 ATS in their last six road games. Houston is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Rockets are 3-4 ATS in their last seven road games. Head to head, the Pelicans are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the Rockets.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets 1/29/19
Spread Odds: Pelicans +10 (-109), Rockets -10.5 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/29/19
The Pelicans are 2-4 ATS in their last six games against the Southwest Division. New Orleans is also 5-7-1 ATS in their last 13 road games. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against Southwest Division rivals and 5-3 ATS in their last eight meetings against the New Orleans Pelicans. Chris Paul’s return should help the Rockets offense and with this game played at the Toyota Center, I expect the Rockets to cover the spread.
Prediction: Rockets -10.5
The over is 27-23 in the Pelicans’ 50 games played so far this season. The total has gone over in 15 out of 27 road games played by New Orleans so far. On the other hand, the over is 26-22-1 in Houston’s 49 games played this season. The Rockets have seen the total go over in 16 out of 26 home games played so far. Head to head, the under is 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets 1/29/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 234.5 -109, Under 234.5 -109
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/29/19
The Rockets are averaging 123.2 points in their last five games at home. The Pelicans meanwhile have scored an average of 115.8 points per game in their last five games played plus the over is 6-2 in their last 8 games played. Both teams aren’t fond of playing defense not especially without Capela for Houston and AD for New Orleans.
Prediction: Over 234.5
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