New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets Prediction 1/18/2026 Today’s NBA Picks

The New Orleans Pelicans travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview 

The New Orleans Pelicans have been in a real slump as they’ve lost 12 of their last 14 games overall and they will be hoping for a better effort after coming up short against the Pacers in a 127-119 road defeat on Friday. Zion Williamson led the team with 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists on 10 of 12 shooting, Trey Murphy II added 22 points with five assists, Saddiq Bey scored 20 points while Jeremiah Fears tallied 16 points with five assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 50 percent from the field and 13 of 31 from the 3-point line which are solid shooting numbers, but they played almost no defense in the second quarter where they allowed 42 points to fall behind by 16 points. The Pelicans rallied at the start of the fourth quarter to cut the margin to just five points at one stage, but they just couldn’t get enough stops to threaten at the end. 

Houston Rockets Betting Preview 

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in a rut as they’ve dropped four of their last six games overall, but they will be feeling a little better after they outlasted the Timberwolves in a 110-105 home win on Friday. Kevin Durant led the team with 39 points and seven assists on 11 of 18 shooting, Alperen Sengun added 25 points with 14 rebounds on 11 of 22 shooting while Amen Thompson chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Rockets shot 46 percent from the field and 12 of 28 from the 3-point line as they got off to a slow start and had to claw their way back from a 12-point deficit, before they broke free early in the fourth quarter with a pivotal 16-7 run.

New Orleans v Houston Free Prediction

The Pelicans are still missing Herbert Jones, Jose Alverado and Dejounte Murray, while the Rockets have ruled out Fred VanVleet with Tari Eason listed as questionable. The Pelicans haven’t been able to get anything going lately and their defense left a lot to be desired in their loss to the Pacers on Friday, but the last time they met the Rockets they won by 133-128 in overtime back on Dec 18. The line is hefty for this one, but the Rockets got a much needed win in their last outing and I think they can build on it with another comfortable win and cover at home in this spot.

Peter Tran's Pick: Houston -12.5