Pelicans vs Rockets Prediction NBA Picks 1/31/24

Houston Rockets (21-24) vs New Orleans Pelicans (26-20)

Game Info: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 8:00 pm (Toyota Center)

Betting Odds: Houston Rockets +2.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds

The New Orleans Pelicans invade the Toyota Center to battle the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Here’s a Pelicans vs Rockets Prediction.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have been in poor form as they've lost four of their last five games overall and they will be hoping to snap a three-game skid after falling short to the Celtics in a 118-112 road defeat on Monday. Brandon Ingram led the team with 28 points, seven rebounds and six asssits, Zion Williamson added 26 points on 11 of 18 shooting while CJ McCollum chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the Pelicans shot 50 percent from the field and 10 of 35 from the 3-point line as they got off to a flyer, pouring in 36 points in the first quarter to build a 17-point lead. However, the Pelicans couldn't maintain that pace and got run down in the fourth quarter where they leaked 37 points in a disappointing finish. The Pelicans will play against the Spurs after this one.

New Orleans Pelicans Player Facts

C.J. McCollum ranks 5th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made Per Game (3.4) this season.
Zion Williamson ranks 4th in the Western Conference amongst qualified players for FG% (59.0%) this season.

Houston Rockets

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in poor form as they've lost six of their last nine games overall, but they will be eager to get something going after making light work of the Lakers in a 135-119 home win on Monday. Jalen Green led the team with 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, Alperen Sengun added 31 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists on 14 of 23 shooting while Cam Whitmore chipped in with 20 points in just 18 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Rockets shot 53 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Lakers from the start, exploding for 78 points in the first half, before they went on another run in the third quarter to push the margin out to 30 points. The Rockets will meet the Raptors and Timberwolves after this game.

Houston Rockets Player Facts

Fred VanVleet ranks 5th amongst qualified players for assist:turnover ratio (5.2) this season.
Alperen Sengun ranks 4th amongst qualified Centers for assists per game (5.1) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

The Rockets rank 1st in the league for Q4 win percentage this season (58.7%).
The Rockets rank 2nd in the league for opponent free throw percentage this season (75.0%).
The Pelicans rank 30th in the league for opponent three-point field goals attempts per game this season (39.3).
The Pelicans rank 1st in the league for Q2 opponent points per game this season (26.3).

Pelicans vs Rockets Prediction

The Pelicans could be a little shorthanded again with Herbert Jones listed as questionable, while the Rockets are still without Victor Oladipo and Tari Eason. The Pelicans have cooled off a bit recently, but they were more than competitive in their narrow loss the red-hot Celtics, while the Rockets were really struggling before they snapped out of it with a much-needed blowout win over the Lakers on Monday. Its hard to split these two teams at the moment, but the Pelicans have been the more reliable and consistent team, so I will go with the road team at the short line in this spot.