Who’s Playing

New Orleans @ Houston

Current Records: New Orleans 33-36; Houston 17-52

What to Know

The Houston Rockets haven’t won a game against the New Orleans Pelicans since Dec. 5 of 2021, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Friday. Houston and New Orleans will face off in a Southwest Division battle at 8 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. The Rockets are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 118.2 points per contest.

Things were close when Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers clashed on Wednesday, but Houston ultimately edged out the opposition 114-110. Houston can attribute much of their success to point guard Kevin Porter, who had 27 points and six assists in addition to nine boards.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans ended up a good deal behind Los Angeles when they played on Tuesday, losing 123-108. New Orleans was down 98-75 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Small forward Brandon Ingram (22 points), shooting guard Herbert Jones (20 points), and small forward Trey Murphy III (20 points) were the top scorers for New Orleans.

Houston is expected to lose this next one by 6. They are currently two-for-two against the spread in their most recent games, however, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

Houston’s victory lifted them to an irreparable 17-52 while New Orleans’ loss dropped them down to 33-36. We’ll see if Houston can repeat their recent success or if the Pelicans bounce back and reverse their fortune.

How To Watch

• When: Friday at 8 p.m. ET
• Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
• TV: ATTSN Southwest
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $22.44

Odds

The Pelicans are a solid 6-point favorite against the Rockets, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -111

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Series History

Houston have won 16 out of their last 29 games against New Orleans.

• 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
• Feb 08, 2022 – New Orleans 110 vs. Houston 97
• Feb 06, 2022 – New Orleans 120 vs. Houston 107
• Dec 05, 2021 – Houston 118 vs. New Orleans 108
• Apr 04, 2021 – New Orleans 122 vs. Houston 115
• Feb 09, 2021 – New Orleans 130 vs. Houston 101
• Jan 30, 2021 – Houston 126 vs. New Orleans 112
• Feb 02, 2020 – Houston 117 vs. New Orleans 109
• Dec 29, 2019 – New Orleans 127 vs. Houston 112
• Nov 11, 2019 – Houston 122 vs. New Orleans 116
• Oct 26, 2019 – Houston 126 vs. New Orleans 123
• Mar 24, 2019 – Houston 113 vs. New Orleans 90
• Jan 29, 2019 – New Orleans 121 vs. Houston 116
• Dec 29, 2018 – Houston 108 vs. New Orleans 104
• Oct 17, 2018 – New Orleans 131 vs. Houston 112
• Mar 24, 2018 – Houston 114 vs. New Orleans 91
• Mar 17, 2018 – Houston 107 vs. New Orleans 101
• Jan 26, 2018 – New Orleans 115 vs. Houston 113
• Dec 11, 2017 – Houston 130 vs. New Orleans 123
• Mar 24, 2017 – Houston 117 vs. New Orleans 107
• Mar 17, 2017 – New Orleans 128 vs. Houston 112
• Feb 23, 2017 – Houston 129 vs. New Orleans 99
• Dec 16, 2016 – Houston 122 vs. New Orleans 100
• Mar 02, 2016 – Houston 100 vs. New Orleans 95
• Jan 25, 2016 – Houston 112 vs. New Orleans 111
• Dec 26, 2015 – New Orleans 110 vs. Houston 108
• Dec 02, 2015 – Houston 108 vs. New Orleans 101