Houston Rockets (11-12, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (10-12, 12th in the Western Conference)
New Orleans; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans heads into a matchup against Houston as winners of three straight games.
The Pelicans are 2-1 in division play. New Orleans ranks third in the league with 11.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Steven Adams averaging 4.4 offensive boards.
The Rockets are 4-3 against the rest of their division. Houston has a 3-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Rockets won 126-112 in the last matchup on Jan. 30. Christian Wood led Houston with 27 points, and Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 26 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brandon Ingram is shooting 46.9% and averaging 23.9 points. Williamson is averaging 24.9 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 61.6% over the last 10 games for New Orleans.
DeMarcus Cousins ranks second on the Rockets with 7.4 rebounds and averages 8.9 points. Jae’Sean Tate is averaging 5.3 rebounds and 9 points per game over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 116.1 points, 44.6 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.6 points on 46.5% shooting.
Rockets: 7-3, averaging 111.1 points, 45.9 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 8.2 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.4 points on 43.0% shooting.
INJURIES: Pelicans: Josh Hart: day to day (back spasms).
Rockets: Dante Exum: out (calf), Christian Wood: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
