HOUSTON ROCKETS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSSaturday, Dec. 29 (6 p.m.)
Why it’s on the list
The two best Southwest Division teams in ’17-18 combined to win 113 games, topped by Houston’s NBA-leading 65-17 record. For New Orleans (48-34) to close the large gap the Rockets opened between them and the rest of the conference – Houston even bested Golden State by seven wins – the Pelicans will likely need to fare better in head-to-head matchups.
New Orleans went just 1-3 vs. Houston last season, allowing a whopping 117.0 points per game in the defeats. The Rockets’ high pick-and-roll – frequently featuring James Harden or Chris Paul and rolling center Clint Capela – was particularly problematic. The Pelicans did post one of their most impressive victories of ’17-18 against the Rockets by a 115-113 margin on Jan. 26, but lost DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending injury in the final moments of the fourth quarter.
Houston’s high-powered offense was so effective Dec. 11 against New Orleans that the Rockets were able to prevail 130-123 despite Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore piling up 37 and 36 points, respectively. The latter represents a career high in scoring for Moore.
Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
Home games during the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s Day are generally coveted by NBA teams, because they’re likely to draw big crowds, as families enjoy additional time off from work or school. The Pelicans will spend all of their schedule surrounding Christmas on the road, facing Milwaukee, the Lakers, Sacramento and Dallas, before returning to Louisiana for a three-game homestand. This Rockets home tilt is sandwiched between visits to the Smoothie King Center by Dallas (Dec. 29) and Minnesota (Dec. 31).
What’s new in Houston
Various predictions of a potential drop-off by the Rockets in ’18-19 are largely based on the departure of valuable two-way small forward Trevor Ariza (signed with Phoenix), as well as versatile reserve defender Luc Mbah a Moute (Clippers). Carmelo Anthony figures to take over most of those minutes and will form a trio of household names on Houston’s roster by joining Harden and Paul. Houston sought more help at the wing position by signing James Ennis (from Detroit), while also picking up backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams (Charlotte).
Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Wednesday, Oct. 17, New Orleans at Houston (ESPN)
Tuesday, Jan. 29, New Orleans at Houston (TNT)
Sunday, March 24, Houston at New Orleans
