Pelicans Host Rockets as Both Teams Surging

Pelicans and Rockets Streaking at the Same Time

The New Orleans Pelicans battle the Houston Rockets at Smoothie King Center on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 8 pm EST. ESPN will have the coverage.

Oddsmakers opened the Rockets as -4.5-point favorites versus the Pelicans, while the game's total opened at 231.5. The line has held steady, but the total has dropped to 228.5.

The super-charged Pelicans have won six of their last seven games. They are showcasing a newfound ability to efficiently make plays in the clutch. The Rockets have won seven of their last eight and four straight. One of those victories was a 116-108 win over the Golden State Warriors last Saturday.

The Rockets have won nine of the last 11 meetings with the Pelicans.  Expect this one to be a bit tougher.  Houston outshot New Orleans 130-123 at home on Dec. 11. The teams combined for 154 points at the break. That can be misleading as the Pelicans played without Anthony Davis. The All-Star starter has shown the ability to go for 40 when needed.

The Pelicans made 14 3-pointers in the first half of the first meeting. They finished with a franchise-record 18.

New Orleans led 101-88 late in the third quarter. Then James Harden went to work. He scored 10 of his 26 points in the final three minutes to provide the game-winning margin. Harden had 17 assists and six steals to lead the comeback.

Pelicans are Learning to Win

Last time out for New Orleans, they were a 101-96 winner as they battled the Charlotte Hornets on the road. The Pelicans covered in the match as a +2.5-point underdog, while 197 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

The Pelicans have found a way to win close games. Three of their recent victories came in overtime. Their 101-96 road win over the Charlotte Hornets was a blowout.

New Orleans leads the NBA in "clutch" minutes. Those are minutes which are tallied when a game is within five points in the final five minutes. Of the Pelicans' 136 clutch minutes this season, 55 have come in the last nine games since Jan. 10.

Harden is Leading Rockets Surge

Houston was a 104-97 winner in its last matchup on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. They covered the -6.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 201 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

Rockets forward Ryan Anderson, who is a former Pelican, is averaging 12.5 points a game. He is shooting 39.9 percent on 3-pointers away from home. Center Clint Capela has scored in double digits in 11 consecutive games.

Chris Paul has joined LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. They are the only NBA players averaging 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Nene expected to be able to come back from a bruised right knee suffered Monday night. That can only help the Rockets

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Houston	34-12	23-22-1	114.13	106.37	7.76	10-13-1	13-9	21-25	14-10	7-15
New Orleans	26-21	24-22-1	111.00	110.60	0.40000000000001	9-12-1	15-10	28-19	16-6	12-13

Power Stats

Assists Turnovers
Name	Assists	Turnovers	Ratio
HOU	22.28	14.20	1.57
NOH	26.26	15.23	1.72

Rebounding
Name	Offense	Defense	Total
HOU	9.67	34.37	44.04
NOH	8.36	34.64	43

ShootingPercentage
Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
HOU	45.96	46.99	-1.03
NOH	48.59	46.07	2.52

Team Records

Houston Rockets

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	34-12	18-6	16-6	23-22-1	10-13-1	13-9	114.13	106.37	7.76
Last 10	7-3	4-1	3-2	6-4	3-2	3-2	110.10	105.50	4.60
vs Div	6-2	4-1	2-1	5-3	3-2	2-1	107.50	100.00	7.50
vs EAST	14-5	7-2	7-3	7-11-1	1-7-1	6-4	111.32	104.32	7.00
vs WEST	20-7	11-4	9-3	16-11	9-6	7-5	116.11	107.81	8.30

New Orleans Pelicans

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	26-21	13-9	13-12	24-22-1	9-12-1	15-10	111.00	110.60	0.40
Last 10	7-3	4-0	3-3	4-6	1-3	3-3	110.70	109.60	1.10
vs Div	3-4	2-1	1-3	3-4	1-2	2-2	107.57	107.71	-0.14
vs EAST	14-6	7-3	7-3	11-8-1	3-6-1	8-2	112.75	109.25	3.50
vs WEST	12-15	6-6	6-9	13-14	6-6	7-8	109.70	111.59	-1.89

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	114.13	2	110.60	29
Away Team Away Scoring vs Home Team Home Defense	111.18	2	112.95	30
Away Team Road Rebounds vs Home Team Home Rebounds Allowed	44.18	12	42.27	17
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	111.00	4	106.37	18
Home Team Home Scoring vs Away Team Road Defense	114.27	2	103.59	6
Home Team Home Rebounds vs Away Team Road Rebounds Allowed	41.95	24	41.73	3

Head To Head Summary

Team	record	ATS	O/U	AVG	AVG ½	FG%	REB	3PT	steals
Houston	8-2	6-4	5-5	115.90	57.40	46.34	45.00	117/304	7.20
New Orleans	2-8	4-6	5-5	108.80	58.80	46.86	45.20	142/393	8.70

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	away score	Home	home score	line	ATS	Total	O/U	FG% Edge	Reb Edge	3PT Edge	Away Half Score	Home Half Score	Away FG%	Home FG%	Away Rebounds	Home Rebounds	Away Three Pointers	Home Three Pointers	Away Steals	Home Steals
Dec 11, 2017	NOH	123	HOU	130	-13.5	NOH	227.5	O	NOH	NOH	NOH	76	78	57.6	54.5	41	36	18/33	17/45	6	12
Mar 24, 2017	NOH	107	HOU	117	-8	HOU	231	U	HOU	HOU	Push	50	49	45.1	47.3	36	59	14/38	14/39	9	5
Mar 17, 2017	HOU	112	NOH	128	6.5	NOH	228	O	NOH	NOH	HOU	50	68	41.6	53.3	46	53	13/40	12/34	6	9
Feb 23, 2017	HOU	129	NOH	99	3.5	HOU	230.5	U	HOU	HOU	HOU	66	50	49.5	41.9	48	45	20/51	6/31	12	10
Dec 16, 2016	NOH	100	HOU	122	-11.5	HOU	224	U	HOU	HOU	HOU	50	72	40.8	44.7	47	57	9/27	24/61	4	7
Mar 2, 2016	NOH	95	HOU	100	-6	NOH	222	U	HOU	HOU	NOH	52	53	40	44.4	43	51	14/36	3/34	10	15
Jan 25, 2016	HOU	112	NOH	111	-4	HOU	216.5	O	HOU	NOH	HOU	58	60	47.5	46.2	38	50	19/39	13/29	7	8
Dec 26, 2015	HOU	108	NOH	110	1.5	NOH	209	O	NOH	NOH	HOU	62	63	45.2	50.7	35	40	15/33	13/24	8	5
Dec 2, 2015	NOH	101	HOU	108	-3.5	HOU	214.5	U	HOU	NOH	HOU	50	48	40.9	41.4	56	42	7/25	8/27	5	9
Apr 12, 2015	NOH	114	HOU	121	-5	HOU	198.5	O	HOU	HOU	NOH	55	52	48.4	53.4	39	40	11/27	9/24	6	6

NBA Betting Trends

Houston Rockets
Houston is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games
Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Houston is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston's last 9 games on the road
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Houston's last 20 games when playing New Orleans
Houston is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Houston's last 19 games when playing on the road against New Orleans

New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans's last 7 games
New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 12 of New Orleans's last 13 games at home
New Orleans is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of New Orleans's last 20 games when playing Houston
New Orleans is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of New Orleans's last 19 games when playing at home against Houston

Team Last 5 Games

Houston Rockets

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	ATS Result	field goal percentage	free throw percentage	three pointers	Location
Jan 24, 2018	DAL	104-97	W	-6.5	216.5	W/U	43.90	47.83	21	A
Jan 22, 2018	MIA	99-90	W	-10.5	213	L/U	44.44	66.67	15	H
Jan 20, 2018	GS	116-108	W	2.5	237.5	W/U	47.13	68.97	14	H
Jan 18, 2018	MIN	116-98	W	-5.5	225	W/U	47.73	88.24	17	H
Jan 15, 2018	LAC	102-113	L	-4.5	230.5	L/U	40.43	81.25	13	A

New Orleans Pelicans

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	ATS Result	field goal percentage	free throw percentage	three pointers	Location
Jan 24, 2018	CHR	101-96	W	2.5	223.5	W/U	44.83	77.78	9	A
Jan 22, 2018	CHI	132-128	W	-6.5	226.5	L/O	41.59	84.62	16	H
Jan 20, 2018	MEM	111-104	W	-9	210	L/O	50.00	81.25	7	H
Jan 17, 2018	ATL	93-94	L	-2.5	219.5	L/U	43.75	68.42	10	A
Jan 16, 2018	BOS	116-113	W	5.5	213.5	W/O	45.00	76.00	7	A

Next up:
Houston home to Phoenix Sunday, January 28
New Orleans home to Los Angeles Sunday, January 28

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