Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 12/23/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The Houston Rockets (13-12) are headed to Smoothie King Center on Saturday where they will go up against the New Orleans Pelicans (17-12).

The Rockets faced the Hawks and took a loss by a final of 134-127 in their last game. Houston wrapped up the contest having earned a 49.4% FG percentage (44 out of 89) and made 16 out of their 34 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Rockets knocked down 23 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 100.0%. When talking about getting rebounds, they earned 37 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 25 assists for the game while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 4 steals. With respect to defense, Houston allowed 51.6% from the field on 47 of 91 shooting. Atlanta doled out 31 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. Additionally, Atlanta snagged 44 rebounds (12 offensive, 32 defensive) and got 6 blocks. Atlanta finished the game at 82.1% at the charity stripe by making 23 of 28 attempts. They also buried 17 of their 40 tries from downtown. In regard to personal fouls, the Rockets ended up finishing with 23 and the Hawks recorded 18 personal fouls.

Jabari Smith Jr. is a player who was a contributor in this matchup. Smith Jr. finished the game at 57.1% from the field and recorded 1 assist. He played 42 mins played and snagged 13 boards. He racked up 34 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

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Houston heads into this one with a mark of 13-12 this year. They average 111.4 points per outing (24th in the league) on 46.1% from the field. The Rockets are shooting 36.7% on shots from beyond the arc (312 of 851) and 78.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is snagging 45.2 boards per game and is sitting with 641 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 29th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 13.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 22.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Rockets are forcing 12.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.2 fouls. They are conceding 32.4% on 3-pointers and they rank 2nd in the league in PPG allowed (108.4). The Rockets defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 44.3% (965 of 2,176) and they concede 43.8 boards per game as a group. They are 1st in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 584 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Pelicans walked away with a victory by a final of 123-104 against the Cavaliers. The Pelicans were able to pull down 33 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 in this contest. They turned the ball over 9 times, while getting 7 steals in the game. The Cavaliers had 13 personal fouls for the game which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 16 tries. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. When talking about shots from distance, New Orleans converted 15 out of their 35 attempts (42.9%). When this game wrapped up, the Pelicans walked away from this one shooting 47 for 86 from the field which had them sitting at 54.7%. The Pelicans permitted the Cavaliers to convert 41 of their 87 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.1% in the game. They went 38.6% from distance by going 17 of 44 and finished the game at 5 of 8 at the charity stripe (62.5%). When it comes to rebounds, New Orleans allowed Cleveland to snag 35 in all (6 on the offensive glass).

Trey Murphy III ended up being important for the Pelicans for this game. Murphy earned 28 points in his 28 minutes on the court and tallied 3 dimes for this contest. He buried 10 out of 16 for the game for a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and added 4 rebounds.

New Orleans has a mark of 17-12 for the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Pelicans are shooting 48.3% from the floor, which ranks them 10th in the NBA. New Orleans has totaled 3,367 pts for the season (116.1 per contest) and they grab 44.3 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 26.6 times per game (10th in basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.4 times per game. The Pelicans commit 19.9 fouls per contest while shooting 77.0% from the charity stripe.

The Pelicans on defense are ranked 14th in basketball in points allowed per game with 113.5. They are forcing 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.7% from the field (14th in basketball). The New Orleans defense allows 34.5% on shots from distance (395 of 1,145) and their opponents are connecting on 77.2% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 27.2 assists and 43.6 boards per contest, which ranks 23rd and 14th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston

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