Houston at New Orleans
Time: 7 PM (CT), ESPN
Spread: HOU -4.5
Total: 227
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Houston Rockets have won four-straight games to improve to 34-12 overall and 18-6 on the road where it will encounter tonight’s opponent, the New Orleans Hornets.
Houston enters as 4.5-point favorites, despite New Orleans surging and also riding a three-game win streak of its own. The Pelicans are 13-9 at home this season and have won seven of its past 10 overall. The over/under is set at 227 points according to NBA oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
ROCKETS
The Rockets stumbled briefly, but are still in hot pursuit of No. 1 seeded Golden State in the Western Conference standings. Houston now has won seven of its last eight after the two-game skid which caused Golden State to surpass it in the standings. The Rockets also maintain a four-game lead on the San Antonio Spurs for the Southwest division crown. The Rockets most recently knocked off the Dallas Mavericks 104-97 behind 25 points from James Harden on 9 of 16 shooting. Clint Capela had yet another strong game on the interior with 16 points on 7 of 8 shooting to go with 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Chris Paul was quiet with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, but still posted a +7 for his 30 minutes of court time (the worst of all Rockets starters).
Paul has come down to earth after his 33 point, 11 rebound, seven assist effort against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 20. In the two games since, he has averaged just 14 points, five assists, and 6.5 rebounds. Paul is good for 22.9 points, 8.1 assists and 7.3 rebounds in the month of January though, and Houston has posted an 8-3 mark in the month of January. Harden has been quieter, averaging just 21.3 points and 8.3 assists in his four appearances in January. In his first game back from injury he had just 10 points but has averaged 25 points per game since over his past three games. Houston has won all those contests, and when Harden is back to carrying his full-load it will just result in more wins.
The Rockets are getting the most of its role players and possesses two of the best passers in the league in the same backcourt, and the result has been devastating for opponents. What is more, is that the Rockets boast a No. 11 ranked defense with a defensive rating of 107.0. Its offense ranks No. 2 with an O-rating of 114.9. The Rockets play at a fast pace but defend well this season, and it could be the year that Mike D’Antoni really advances a team in the postseason; certainly, no team is posing a greater threat to the Golden State Warriors in the West right now.
PELICANS
The Pelicans are 26-21 and have one of the most uniquely savage offensive attacks in the league led by two big men, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Both will be 2018 All-Stars. The Pelicans rank No. 6 in offensive rating with 110.0, and the defensive story has been pretty bleak. The Pelicans rank No. 22 in defensive rating with a 109.6, barely enough to come out a plus.-.500 team in light of a strong offense. Jrue Holiday has been picking it up recently though, and that has made a tremendous difference for a Pelicans team that is still starting one of the worst wing rotations in the NBA.
Davis is averaging 26.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.22 blocks/steals per game, while Cousins is good for 25.4 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists, functioning more as a point-center than any sort of real big man. Cousins is attempting 6.2 threes per game at a 35.6 percent clip, while Davis takes another 1.8 per game at a 34.7 percent mark. The pair has been waiting for Holiday, and he finally seems to be weighing in. Over his last 10 games, the combo guard has averaged 19.8 points, 5.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Over his last five, he is good for 20.6 points, 5.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds, and New Orleans has won all but one of those games, a 93-94 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Holiday is averaging 18.6 points per game on the season, and if that figure can hover over 20 per for the remainder of the season, the Pelicans will be in a much better position. It has needed Holiday to offset the brilliance of its dynamic-duo inside, and it seems the one-time All-Star is waking up to that call.
