Houston Rockets at New Orleans Pelicans odds, picks and predictions

Nathan Beighle | Staff Writer

The New Orleans Pelicans (17-12) welcome the Houston Rockets (14-12) to Smoothie King Center Saturday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET. Let's analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Rockets vs. Pelicans odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

Season series: Rockets lead 1-0.

The Rockets beat the Pelicans at home 104-101 on Nov. 10, pushing as 3-point home favorites.

New Orleans is coming off a 123-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road Thursday. It covered as 3.5-point favorites. The Pelicans are 17-11-1 against the spread (ATS) and 4-2 ATS over their last 6. New Orleans is a strong 10-4 ATS at home. It is led by F Brandon Ingram, who is averaging 23.3 points per game.

The Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 122-96 at home Friday, covering as 8.5-point favorites. Houston is 1-3 ATS over its last 4 yet 6-3 ATS over its last 9. It is 17-8-1 ATS on the season. The Rockets are 3-4 ATS over their last 7 road games. They are led by C Alperen Sengun, who is averaging 19.7 points per game.

Rockets at Pelicans odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Rockets +230 (bet $100 to win $230) | Pelicans -280 (bet $280 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Rockets +7 (-110) | Pelicans -7 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Rockets at Pelicans key injuries

Rockets

F Tari Eason (leg) out
G Victor Oladipo (knee) out

Pelicans

F Zion Williamson (illness) questionable
C Cody Zeller (ankle) questionable

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

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Rockets at Pelicans picks and predictions

Prediction

Pelicans 118, Rockets 110

Moneyline

PASS.

The Rockets will be on the 2nd night of a back-to-back and aren't worth a look despite being a lofty plus-money underdog.

Against the spread

BET PELICANS -6 (-110).

The Pelicans will be the more rested side and are 4-2 ATS over their last 6. New Orleans has also covered well at home. The Pelicans have been solid for bettors over the last few weeks. They are 7-4 ATS over their last 11. New Orleans has numerous capable scoring options which aids its ability to consistently pull away.

The Rockets are 1-1-1 ATS on the 2nd night of a back-to-back and are 1-3 ATS over their last 4 games. Houston's leading scorer, Sengun, will be facing a tough matchup in C Jonas Valanciunas, who will limit his opportunity on the glass.

Considering those trends, back PELICANS -7 (-110).

Over/Under

LEAN OVER 223.5 (-110).

The Pelicans sit 10th in pace and may look to push the tempo. They have gone Over in 4 of their last 6 games, scoring at least 140 points in 2 of their last 5. Their defense has struggled as well, allowing 110 or more in 3 of their last 5.

The Rockets are 10-15 O/U and play at a slow pace but have been better as of late. They have tallied 120 or more in 3 straight games and are 3-1 O/U in their last 4. Both teams have scored efficiently as of late.

Take OVER 223.5 (-110).

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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