3rd quarter report
The Rockets are on the road but don’t look any worse. After three quarters, their offense really knew how to impose its will, dominating the Pelicans 108-80.
The Rockets came into the game having won three straight and are now just a quarter back. Will they make it four, or will the Pelicans step in and ruin it? We will know soon.
Who’s playing
Houston Rockets @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current records: Houston 20-9, New Orleans 5-25
How to watch
- When: Thursday, December 26, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Or: Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: Gulf Coast Sports
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $2.00
What you need to know
The Pelicans will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They are scheduled to face the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET at the Smoothie King Center with some extra rest. The Pelicans have a tough task ahead: They will enter the competition with seven straight losses, while the Rockets will arrive with three straight wins.
The Pelicans just scored the most points they have all season. They narrowly fell to the Nuggets by a score of 132-129 on Sunday. New Orleans led 91-74 in the third but couldn’t maintain the lead.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Yves Missi, who nearly escaped a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds. Dejounte Murray, on the other hand, was considerably less useful: he went 0-6 from downtown.
Even though they lost, the Pelicans worked as a unit and finished the game with 37 assists. This is the most assists they have posted since March.
Meanwhile, the Rockets won against the Raptors on Sunday by 114 points and decided to stick with that point total again on Monday. The Rockets earned a 114-101 victory over the Hornets. Houston pushed the score to 92-66 late in the third, a deficit that Charlotte reduced but never truly recovered from.
New Orleans’ loss dropped their record to 5-25. As for Houston, they’ve been on a hot streak lately: they’ve won five of their last six meetings, which has been a nice improvement to their 20-9 record this season.
While only the Rockets took care of their fans in their last game, both teams pleased the bettors by covering the spread. Looking ahead, the Rockets are the favorites as experts expect them to win by 7.5 points. This game will be New Orleans’ 12th straight as an underdog (so far in that stretch, they are 5-6 ATS).
The Pelicans suffered a dismal 133-113 loss to the Rockets in the teams’ last game on Thursday. Will the Pelicans have better luck at home than on the road?
Odds
Houston is a big favorite with 7.5 points against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA Odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of the line for this one, as the game opened with the Rockets as 8.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 221 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
New Orleans has won 6 of its last 10 games against Houston.
- December 19, 2024 – Houston 133 vs. New Orleans 113
- February 22, 2024 – New Orleans 127 vs. Houston 105
- January 31, 2024 – New Orleans 110 vs. Houston 99
- December 23, 2023 – Houston 106 vs. New Orleans 104
- November 10, 2023 – Houston 104 vs. New Orleans 101
- March 19, 2023 – New Orleans 117 vs. Houston 107
- March 17, 2023 – Houston 114 vs. New Orleans 112
- January 4, 2023 – New Orleans 119 vs. Houston 108
- November 12, 2022 – New Orleans 119 vs. Houston 106
- March 13, 2022 – New Orleans 130 vs. Houston 105
