The big news in the NBA on Monday was the trade demand that Anthony Davis has made with the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis won’t play Tuesday night again due to injury and his struggling team is a big NBA odds underdog vs the Houston Rockets. Will Davis ever play for the Pels again?
Pelicans vs Rockets NBA Spread & Prediction
Jrue Holiday on Anthony Davis
Full Interview: https://t.co/J90VoH8GBr#Pelicans pic.twitter.com/xD45ZdFtTB — New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) 28 de enero de 2019
- When: Tuesday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Toyota Center
- TV: TNT
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Radio: TuneIn
- NBA Spread: Houston Rockets -10 (Total 234.5)
Season Series
Teams have split two meetings, each winning on road. In two games against Houston this season, Anthony Davis has averaged 27.0 points on .559 shooting from the floor, including .667 from deep, 13.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks. Julius Randle has averaged 27.0 points on .559 shooting from the floor, including .500 from three-point range, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. E’Twaun Moore has averaged 21.0 points on .548 shooting from the field, including .444 from deep, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Jrue Holiday. In two games against New Orleans this season, James Harden has averaged 29.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.5 blocks. Eric Gordon has averaged 21.0 points on .571 shooting from the field.
The Pelicans have not won a season series since back-to-back seasons in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Houston is 5-3 over the past eight meetings after winning six of the seven games prior.
Why Bet on New Orleans?
The Anthony Davis trade demand blew up the NBA on Monday as every team in the league will at least call New Orleans, although it sure sounds as if Davis will land with the Lakers. His agent is Rich Paul, who is also LeBron James’ agent. “Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and competes for a championship,” Paul said to the media on Monday. Davis, 25, who is averaging 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, is currently sidelined with a volar plate avulsion fracture of his left index finger.
Star Pels point guard Jrue Holiday said Davis is “like 90 percent” the reason he stayed in New Orleans. With Davis’ future no longer in New Orleans, Holiday could follow him out the door and he won’t have any shortage of suitors either. Davis (finger) talked to Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry Monday morning and told him he plans on playing out the season.
The Pels stink without Davis and lost their third straight Saturday, 126-114 to San Antonio. Holiday scored a team-high 29 points (9-of-20 FGs, 8-of-12 FTs) with seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and three 3-pointers. Holiday was the lone member of the Pelicans’ big-four healthy for the game. Holiday is one of just three players in the NBA averaging at least 20.5 points and 8.0 assists, with the other two being Houston’s James Harden and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook.
Jahlil Okafor excelled in another start on Saturday against the Spurs, scoring 24 (10-of-12 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs) with 15 rebounds, one steal and four blocks in 36 minutes. The points and rebounds mark new season-highs for Okafor, who started his fourth straight game with Davis out. He has three double-doubles in those four starts. Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic both were out injured vs. the Spurs. Not yet clear about this one.
The Pelicans are ranked 4th in the NBA in second-chance points, averaging 14.9 per game. That’s up considerably from last season, as the Pelicans finished the season with 11.6-second-chance points per game, ranking 18th in the league. Additionally, the Pelicans’ offensive rebounds per game are up by nearly three per game this season from the 2017-18 campaign.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 116.60
- Field Goal Percentage: 48.08
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.28
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.14
- Total Rebounds: 46.72
Defense
- Total Score: 115.12
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.32
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.75
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.25
- Total Rebounds: 44.48
Why Bet on Houston?
The Rockets won their third in a row Sunday, 103-98 over Orlando. Houston trailed by as many as 16 and never led until there were about four minutes remaining. The game was tied with about 75 seconds left when a 3-pointer by James Harden put the Rockets up 98-95. Terrence Ross missed a 3 on the other end and Harden added a step-back jumper with 30 seconds left to stretch the lead.
Harden finished with 40 points to extend his streak of 30-point games to 23, which ranks fourth in NBA history behind three such streaks by Wilt Chamberlain. Harden, who had 11 rebounds and six assists, has scored 40 or more points in 12 of his last 17 games, including a franchise-record 61 against the Knicks last week. Kenneth Faried assisted Harden on a first-quarter bucket vs. Orlando, snapping his streak of 87 straight field goals without being assisted.
Faried started again and had 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. He’s thriving with his new team in the absence of Clint Capela and has posted back-to-back double-doubles for the Rockets. He’s scored in double digits in all four of his games.
Chris Paul returned to action on Sunday after missing 17 games with a hamstring injury, playing 25 minutes and finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals and two 3-pointers on 4-of-8 shooting. Coach Mike D’Antoni wants Paul’s minutes to eventually peak at 30 each night, and he was on a “mid-20s” limit for this one.
The Rockets are 16-8 when Harden and Paul play together this season and 13-12 when they don’t (1-2 w/o Harden; 12-10 w/o Paul). Since losing its first four home games, Houston has gone 19-3 at Toyota Center. Houston has won 30+ home games in four of the past five seasons after doing so four times the 22 seasons prior. Houston is 24-4 when leading after three quarters of play this season and 5-16 when tied or trailing.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 112.20
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.53
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.52
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.98
- Total Rebounds: 41.82
Defense
- Total Score: 110.63
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.39
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.97
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.93
- Total Rebounds: 44.51
Pelicans vs Rockets NBA Betting Trends
- Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. NBA Southwest
- Rockets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Tuesday games
- Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Houston
- Pelicans are 2-3-1 ATS in their last 6 games
- Pelicans are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games
- Rockets are 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 games at home
- Rockets are 15-2 SU in their last 17 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston’s last 10 games at home
Expert NBA Betting Prediction
Pelicans are banged up and in disarray. Take Houston.
