Rockets vs Pelicans

The extremely desperate New Orleans Pelicans travel to the "Space City" to take on the surging Houston Rockets on this Friday evening.

In addition, based on how the Rockets have played of late, siding with Houston and banking on them to cover the spread seems more realistic at home. Bafflingly enough, it is the Rockets’ ability to record second-chance opportunities that will determine whether or not they are able to cover the spread in this Friday night bout. A big reason why the Rockets have enhanced their ability to score is thanks to the uptick in aggressiveness and confidence in rookie Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr, and leading scorer Jalen Green. Nevertheless, it is now a must-win mode for New Orleans from here on out, as a spectacular team effort will need to be in order to cool down a Rockets squad that is fresh off of two impressive wins in a row. Since then, the ‘Pels have gone 10-23 and are in serious danger from missing out on the fun of the postseason. With Zion Williamson continuing to be sidelined due to injury, can the shorthanded Pelicans keep their playoff aspirations alive with a big-time road win in Houston?

Rookies Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. have joined Jalen Green and Porter as Rockets' scoring leaders in a stretch that has revealed a more confident bunch. " ...

They've got to go out there and put it together and the attention to detail has to be there. "We've got to have more attention to detail," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. We're finding that when we play a certain way, the right way, we can be in games and win some." "We've been talking more about situational type of stuff that leads to good play, and the ball movement has been good. posted 27 points to lead Houston, becoming the fourth different player to pace the Rockets in scoring in the seven games since they snapped an 11-game losing streak on March 4. On Wednesday, at least seven Rockets scored in double figures for the second time in three games and the fourth time over their last seven, as they beat the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 114-110.

Free NBA betting picks, odds, predictions for the Rockets vs. Pelicans on March 17, 2023. Our best bets and top NBA picks for moneylines, over/unders and ...

The most recent game between the teams resulted in both a straight-up and ATS win for the Pelicans (119-106). Their previous ten games have an over/under mark of 3-7 with an average of 225 points per contest. Check out all of the sportsbooks and their bonus offers: New Orleans' defense enters 16th in the league, giving up an average of 110.3 points per game with a field goal percentage allowed of 47.2%. Houston's defense is currently 16th in the league at 110.3 points allowed per game. Over their five most recent games, the team has been scoring an average of 229 points per game. For the season, New Orleans is ranked 17th at 113.9 points per contest. Every single game on the NBA schedule will have its own betting analysis, betting breakdown and betting picks, every single week! RotoBaller provides free handicapping picks and odds for all NBA games throughout the 2022-2023 season. [sports betting promo offers](/betting?pa=editors)from the top sportsbooks! Get your deposit bonus and also a year of free RotoBaller Premium access for all sports and all tools ($450 value), when you sign up with a new account today! In addition to all of our other betting content and advice, we have now added weekly betting analysis articles and betting recommendations for each NBA game.

Analyzing Friday's New Orleans Pelicans at Houston Rockets odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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NBA First Basket gives out his two favorite first scorer props for Friday's matchup between the Pelicans and Rockets.

In the second match-up, CJ McCollum cashed the first basket with Smith making the first team basket for Houston. Brandon Ingram has taken the first shot for New Orleans in 41% of games he started, and cashed the first basket bet in 34% of them. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. [Pelicans](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/new-orleans-pelicans) will make the short trip to Houston to take on the [Rockets](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/houston-rockets) Friday night. Valanciunas is the second option on the team, having taken the first shot in 27% of games started and cashed the first basket in 24% of them. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page.

1 / 8HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 17: Jabari Smith Jr. #1 of the Houston Rockets reacts to hitting the game winning shot to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans ...

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets NBA basketball game on March 17, 2023.

[Zion Williamson](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4395628/zion-williamson) (hamstring) and [Jose Alvarado](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4277869/jose-alvarado) (tibial stress reaction) sat on the New Orleans bench in plainclothes. [Boban Marjanovic](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4376/boban-marjanovic), the 7-foot-4 veteran center from Serbia featured in television commercials, played less than two minutes Friday night, but he made a clutch contribution to the win. [Kevin Porter Jr](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4397140/kevin-porter-jr). [Brandon Ingram](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3913176/brandon-ingram) led New Orleans with 31 points. [Jabari Smith](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/793/jabari-smith) Jr. [Jonas Valanciunas](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6477/jonas-valanciunas) added 22 points and 17 rebounds, one shy of his season high. [Jalen Green](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4437244/jalen-green) led Houston with 25 points and had seven rebounds and six assists. That was a huge play.” Across parts of the first and second quarters, New Orleans were trapped in a scoring drought of 6:10. It was a four-point swing that put New Orleans up five with 1:25 remaining. “I felt like I was in a video game,” Smith said. “Everybody had a part in it, but it says a couple things.

Jabari Smith Jr. drilled a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining and the Houston Rockets beat New Orleans Pelicans 114-112 in the NBA.

But after a Josh Richardson 3 resulted in that 14-point deficit at the 5:10 mark of the first quarter, the Rockets punched back. The Pelicans led 54-49 at the break after parlaying eight second-quarter turnovers by Houston into 15 points. followed a Sengun dunk with a pair of free throws, the Rockets trailed 103-102 with 4:07 left. But after trailing by as many as 16 points in the third, the Rockets roared back in the fourth quarter. With the Rockets trailing by one point following a wild back and forth, Smith walked into a pull-up 3 after Houston secured possession with 4 seconds remaining. Valanciunas rampaged through the third quarter following a brief confrontation with Sengun during a timeout.

The Houston Rockets battled back from a 16-point deficit in their come-from-behind victory over the Pelicans, which showcased their growth to battle through ...

The wild swings of momentum did little to provide a clear view of the pending result, but for the New Orleans Pelicans, their arrival at the conclusion ...

Mere moments earlier, Smith was lamenting his inability to secure a defensive rebound that enabled the Pelicans to extend their final possession. Green nailed a 22-footer off an inbound pass from Porter with 35.8 seconds left that pulled Houston to within one before Smith won the game as the third option on the final play. "We've had a lot of down moments this year," Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. "No need to hang our heads," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. And while New Orleans has 12 games left to make the most of an opportunity to extend its season, every loss at this late stage feels especially punitive. Despite strong performances from Brandon Ingram (31 points, six assists) and Jonas Valanciunas (22 points, 17 rebounds, four blocks), the Pelicans could not hold on.

CJ McCollum and the New Orleans Pelicans (33-37) will look to fend off Jalen Green's Houston Rockets (18-52) on March 19, 2023. The Pelicans are a.

Trail Blazers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 17, 2023](https://www.bleachernation.com/nba-predictions/2023/03/16/celtics-vs-trail-blazers-prediction-expert-picks-odds-stats-best-bets-friday-march-17-2023/) Timberwolves Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, March 18, 2023](https://www.bleachernation.com/nba-predictions/2023/03/18/raptors-vs-timberwolves-prediction-expert-picks-odds-stats-best-bets-saturday-march-18-2023/) [Celtics vs. Green puts up 21.7 points per game. The Pelicans’ offense has been much better when playing at home (114.3 PPG) compared to road games (113.4 PPG). They are making 3.9 fewer threes than their opponents, who drain 14.6 per game at 37.3%. It outrebounds opponents by 5.2 boards per game. [POINTSBET NBA Promo](https://www.bleachernation.com/link/pointsbet-promo-4x200/) [BETMGM NBA Promo](https://www.bleachernation.com/link/betmgm-sportsbook/) [FANDUEL NBA Promo](https://www.bleachernation.com/link/fanduel/) [CAESARS NBA Promo](https://www.bleachernation.com/link/caesars-all-states/) [DRAFTKINGS NBA Promo](https://www.bleachernation.com/link/draftkings-promo-1/) The game has a point total of 227.5.