The Houston Rockets, riding a wave of momentum with three straight wins and five victories in their last six games, will face the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, who have lost seven consecutive games and have just five victories this season. This matchup pits the team with the second-best record in the Western Conference against the team with the worst record in the conference on Thursday night.
The Rockets showcased their depth in a 114-101 victory at Charlotte on Monday, despite missing two of their seven players averaging double figures — Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. Amen Thompson stepped into the starting lineup in Brooks’ absence, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Two-way player Cam Whitmore contributed 17 points off the bench.
Houston was focused from the start, taking a commanding 62-31 halftime lead. They were motivated by their awareness of the Hornets’ potential, even though Charlotte has the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. On opening night, Houston had squandered an 18-point lead in a 110-105 loss to the Hornets.
Earlier this week, Houston overcame a slow start, allowing 35 first-quarter points before rallying for a 114-110 victory on Sunday at Toronto. The Rockets aim to complete a sweep of their three-game road trip against teams that have combined for one fewer win than Houston’s 20.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, are coming off one of their better recent performances. They led the visiting Denver Nuggets by 17 points late in the third quarter before being forced into overtime and losing 132-129 on Sunday. This game continued a trend of guard Dejounte Murray rounding into form and center Yves Missi, the 21st overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, playing like one of the top rookies in the league.
Murray suffered a broken non-shooting hand in the season opener and missed 17 games. However, in the 12 games since returning, he has started to become the all-around leader New Orleans expected when they acquired him in an offseason trade with Atlanta. Despite a scoring average of 16.2, which is 6.3 points below his career-high average from last season, and a shooting percentage of just 35.7 percent, Murray had 17 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, and six steals in 44 minutes against the Nuggets.
Missi held his own against Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who didn’t score until less than three minutes remained in the second quarter before finishing with a triple-double. Missi had 21 points and nine rebounds and has started 23 of 29 games, averaging 9.7 points and 8.6 rebounds.
This clash between the Rockets and Pelicans promises to be an intriguing battle as Houston looks to continue their winning streak and New Orleans seeks to break out of their slump.
