New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 3/19/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets

Date: Sunday, March 19, 2023

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: AT&T Sportsnet Southwest

Odds/Point Spread: New Orleans (-6)

The New Orleans Pelicans are headed to Toyota Center on Sunday where they will attempt to defeat the Houston Rockets. Houston opens this matchup as 6-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The betting total comes in at 232.

The Pelicans faced the Rockets and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 114-112 in their last contest. New Orleans walked away from the contest having earned a 47.6% field goal percentage (39 of 82) and buried 12 out of their 28 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Pelicans made 22 of 25 attempts for a percentage of 88.0%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they earned 35 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 22 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When discussing defending, New Orleans allowed 48.9% from the field on 43 out of 88 shooting. Houston earned 20 assists and had 9 steals for the game. On top of that, Houston snagged 52 rebounds (15 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 5 blocks. Houston ended up shooting 70.8% when shooting free throws by making 17 of their 24 shots. They also buried 11 of 32 tries from long range. When discussing personal fouls, the Pelicans finished with 17 and the Rockets racked up 19 personal fouls.

Brandon Ingram is one player who was a factor in the game. Ingram finished the contest at 45.0% from the field and earned 6 assists. He was on the court for 38 minutes played and snagged 4 boards. He ended up walking away with 31 points on 9 out of 20 shooting.

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New Orleans enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 33-37 for the year. They are turning it over 14.7 times per game and as a unit they commit 20.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, New Orleans is pulling in 43.5 boards per contest and has 1,797 dimes this season, which has them ranked 10th in basketball in terms of passing. The Pelicans are hitting 35.5% on 3-pointers (759 of 2,138) and 78.4% from the free throw line. They average 113.9 pts per game (16th in the NBA) while shooting 47.7% from the floor.

Defensively, the Pelicans are able to force 15.1 turnovers every game and they draw 20.4 fouls. They give up 34.1% on 3-pointers and they are 16th in the league in points per game allowed (113.5). The Pelicans defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 47.6% (2,894 of 6,082) and they concede 42.4 boards per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 11th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,749 conceded on the campaign.

In their last game, the Rockets took home the win by a final score of 114-112 when they played the Pelicans. In reference to how they attacked the glass, Houston allowed New Orleans to snag 35 in total (8 on the offensive side). They finished 42.9% from three-point range by shooting 12 of 28 and finished the game at 22 out of 25 from the free throw line (88.0%). The Rockets allowed the Pelicans to bury 39 of their 82 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.6% for the game. When the game finished, the Rockets shot 43 out of 88 from the floor which had them at 48.9%. When it comes to 3-pointers, Houston buried 11 of 32 tries (34.4%). They were able to bury 17 of those for a rate of 70.8%. The Pelicans were called for 17 personal fouls in this game which took the Rockets to the charity stripe for a total of 24 shots. They turned it over 12 times, while earning 9 steals for this game. The Rockets were able to collect 37 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards for a total of 52 in this matchup.

Jalen Green ended up having an impact for the Rockets in the game. He converted 10 out of 20 for the game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 7 rebounds. Green scored 25 points in his 40 minutes of playing time and had 6 assists for the contest.

Houston has a record of 18-52 on the season. The Rockets commit 20.7 personal fouls per game while shooting 75.1% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 22.6 times per game (29th in the league) and they are turning it over 16.5 times per game. Houston has accounted for 7,727 pts for the season (110.4 per contest) and they grab 46.6 boards per contest. As an offense, the Rockets are hitting on 45.5% from the field, which has them ranked 28th in the league.

The Rockets are ranked 27th in the NBA in PPG given up with 118.1. They are forcing their opponents into 13.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.7% from the floor (19th in the league). The Houston defense concedes 37.3% on shots from distance (1,021 of 2,735) and opponents are making 80.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 25.7 dimes and 41.4 rebounds per game, which is ranked 17th and 4th in the league.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston (+6)

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