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In the first game on TNT Tuesday night, the Houston Rockets will head down to the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. These two teams played each other at the end of the last month, where the Rockets won 126-112 at Smoothie King Center.
The Rockets (11-12) are coming off of a 119-94 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. Houston was without Christian Wood and John Wall as they suffered their second-straight defeat. Victor Oladipo led the way with 21 points, to go along with seven rebounds, and six assists. As a team, the Rockets had four players reach double-figures. The Pistons struggled shooting the ball from three-point range as they shot 27.7 percent on 47 attempts.
The Pelicans have won three-straight games after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 118-109 on Saturday night. New Orleans has won three out of their last five games and are 5-5 in their last 10.
Against the Grizz, the duo of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson dominated and powered the Pels to victory. Ingram had a double-double consisting of 27 points (11-20 FG, 5-8 3pt) and 12 rebounds. Williamson recorded a team-high 29 points (10-14 FG) and also added in five assists and four rebounds.
What can we expect from these two teams on Tuesday night? Also, can the Rockets get a win on the second night of back-to-back and? To answer those questions and more, here is our pick against the spread and a player prop you need to consider.
Rockets vs. Pelicans, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Pick ATS: Pelicans -6
The line for Tuesday night’s game is currently set at six points, with New Orleans being favored at home. The Pels have been good against the spread recently with a record of 5-2 in their last seven games. But when they have been favorite, New Orleans’ record is 2-6 in their last eight games.
As for the Rockets, they will have John Wall and Eric Gordon after resting both players on Monday night. That is good news for a Houston offense, which struggled against Charlotte. Along those same lines, they will be without Victor Oladipo, who played 34 minutes and will be resting.
Since joining the Rockets, Oladipo is averaging 19.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.9 rebounds. When you take the loss of Wood and add in Oladipo, that’s a significant amount missing against a Pelicans’ team that is clicking. Lastly, the Rockets are 3-4 against the spread in their last seven games.
Player Prop: Brandon Ingram O2.5 3pt made (+132)
Out of all the player props for this game, I believe this is a good one to play. Ingram has been playing well this season, shooting a career-high 39.7 percent from three-point range on 6.2 attempts per game. He has also made more than 2.5 three-pointers in 10 out of 22 games this season. In the Pelicans’ last five games, Ingram has made 2.6 threes out of 6.6 attempts per game. We just saw this Rockets’ defense allow the Hornets to shoot 46.3 percent from three on Monday, which could be good news for Ingram.
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