Halftime Report
The Rockets are on the road but looking no worse for wear. After two quarters their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Pelicans 88-68.
The Rockets entered the contest having won three straight and they’re just two quarters away from another. Will they make it four, or will the Pelicans step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Houston Rockets @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current Records: Houston 20-9, New Orleans 5-25
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, December 26, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: Gulf Coast Sports
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $2.00
What to Know
The Pelicans will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They are set to face off against the Houston Rockets at 8:00 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center with a little bit of extra rest. The Pelicans have a tough task ahead: they’ll enter the contest with seven straight losses, while the Rockets will come in with three straight wins.
The Pelicans are headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They fell just short of the Nuggets by a score of 132-129 on Sunday. New Orleans was up 91-74 in the third but couldn’t hold on to the lead.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Yves Missi, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. Dejounte Murray, on the other hand, was considerably less helpful: he went 0-6 from downtown.
Even though they lost, the Pelicans were working as a unit and finished the game with 37 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, the Rockets won against the Raptors on Sunday with 114 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Monday. The Rockets walked away with a 114-101 victory over the Hornets. Houston pushed the score to 92-66 by the end of the third, a deficit Charlotte cut but never quite recovered from.
New Orleans’ defeat dropped their record down to 5-25. As for Houston, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 20-9 record this season.
While only the Rockets took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking ahead, the Rockets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 7.5 points. This contest will be New Orleans’ 12th straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 5-6 against the spread).
The Pelicans suffered a grim 133-113 defeat to the Rockets when the teams last played on Thursday. Will the Pelicans have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
Houston is a big 7.5-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Rockets as a 8.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 221 points.
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Series History
New Orleans has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Dec 19, 2024 – Houston 133 vs. New Orleans 113
- Feb 22, 2024 – New Orleans 127 vs. Houston 105
- Jan 31, 2024 – New Orleans 110 vs. Houston 99
- Dec 23, 2023 – Houston 106 vs. New Orleans 104
- Nov 10, 2023 – Houston 104 vs. New Orleans 101
- Mar 19, 2023 – New Orleans 117 vs. Houston 107
- Mar 17, 2023 – Houston 114 vs. New Orleans 112
- Jan 04, 2023 – New Orleans 119 vs. Houston 108
- Nov 12, 2022 – New Orleans 119 vs. Houston 106
- Mar 13, 2022 – New Orleans 130 vs. Houston 105
