New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 3/17/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets

Date: Friday, March 17, 2023

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: AT&T Sportsnet Southwest

Toyota Center is where the Houston Rockets will go up against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

The Pelicans faced off with the Lakers and went home with a loss by a final score of 123-108 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Pelicans ended up with 24 while the Lakers racked up 16 fouls. They made 18 out of their 39 tries from downtown. Los Angeles ended up going 89.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 25 of 28 attempts. Additionally, Los Angeles snagged 52 boards (15 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 3 rejections. Los Angeles earned 24 assists and had 8 steals for the contest. With respect to the defense, New Orleans allowed the other team to shoot 48.8% from the floor on 40 of 82 shooting. They also recorded 23 assists for this contest while creating 17 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In relation to hauling in boards, they collected 41 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Pelicans made 13 of 20 tries for a percentage of 65.0%. New Orleans wrapped up the game having earned a 42.9% FG percentage (42 out of 98) and made 11 of their 43 three-point shots.

Brandon Ingram is a guy who was a major contributor in this game. Ingram ended up going 52.9% from the floor and distributed 6 assists. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins and also snagged 6 boards. He ended up with 22 points on 9 of 17 shooting.

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New Orleans heads into this one with a mark of 33-36 so far this season. They turn it over 14.8 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.8 personal fouls every game. As a unit, New Orleans is pulling down 43.6 boards per game and has tallied 1,775 assists for the season, which is 10th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. The Pelicans are connecting on 35.4% on three-point shots (747 of 2,110) and 78.2% from the free throw line. They average 113.9 points per outing (16th in the NBA) while hitting 47.7% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Pelicans are able to force 15.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.5 personal fouls. They are conceding 34.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 16th in the NBA in points per game allowed (113.5). The Pelicans defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 47.6% (2,851 of 5,994) and they surrender 42.2 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They rank 10th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,729 conceded so far this season.

In their last game, the Rockets walked away with a victory by a final of 114-110 when they played the Lakers. The Rockets recorded 35 defensive boards and 16 offensive boards for a total of 51 for this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 17 times, while earning 5 steals in the matchup. The Lakers were called for 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Rockets to the free throw line for 19 shots. They were able to convert 12 of the free throws for a percentage of 63.2%. In reference to shooting from beyond the arc, Houston converted 8 of their 29 tries (27.6%). Overall, the Rockets finished 47 out of 89 from the field which had them shooting 52.8%. The Rockets permitted the Lakers to convert 34 of their 90 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.8% for this game. They finished 25.0% from three-point range by connecting on 11 out of 44 and walked away from this one shooting 31 out of 37 at the charity stripe (83.8%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Houston permitted Los Angeles to collect 36 overall (11 offensive).

Kevin Porter Jr. ended up having an impact for the Rockets for this game. Porter scored 27 points in his 39 mins on the court and had 6 assists in this contest. He made 11 of 16 for the contest for a rate of 68.8%, and had 9 rebounds.

Houston has a win-loss mark of 17-52 so far this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Rockets are shooting 45.5% from the field, which is ranked 29th in the league. Houston has 7,613 pts on the year (110.3 per contest) and they average 46.5 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 22.6 times per contest (28th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 16.6 times per game. The Rockets have committed 20.7 personal fouls per contest while shooting 75.1% from the free throw line.

The Houston defense surrenders 37.3% on shots from 3-point land (1,009 of 2,707) and their opponents are connecting on 80.0% of their foul shots. They give up 25.7 dimes and 41.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 17th and 4th in basketball. The Rockets on the defensive side of the court are 27th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 118.2. They have forced 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 47.7% from the floor (19th in the NBA).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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