Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction: Injury Reports, Starting 5s, Betting Odds & Picks - January 4 | 2022-23 NBA Season

The Houston Rockets will play the first half of a back-to-back tonight (January 4) when they travel to Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The two teams are at opposite ends of the standings.

Houston is last in the Western Conference, sitting two games behind the San Antonio Spurs. They have lost nine of their last ten games, including their last four in what has been a forgettable season.

Meanwhile, New Orleans is only one game outside the top spot in the West. The Pelicans have lost their last two but have an active four-game winning streak at home, where they have gone 16-4.

On paper, this seems like a lopsided matchup, but there's a reason teams play every night. Let's see who comes out on top tonight.

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Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Match Details

Fixture: Houston Rockets @ New Orleans Pelicans

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 4; 8:00 pm EST

Venue: Smoothie King Center

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Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report

The Houston Rockets only have one player ruled out tonight, while the Pelicans will have four players unavailable tonight. Among the unavailable players for New Orleans are Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, two key pieces to their roster.

Player	Team	Injury	Status
Jae'Sean Tate	Rockets	Ankle	Out
Brandon Ingram	Pelicans	Toe	Out
E.J. Liddell	Pelicans	Knee	Out
Larry Nance Jr.	Pelicans	Shoulder	Out
Zion Williamson	Pelicans	Hamstring	Out

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Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Money Line
Rockets	+7.0 (-110)	Over 229.5 (-110)	+222
Pelicans	-7.0 (-110)	Under 229.5 (-110)	-278

Odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

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Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Starting 5s

Rockets: PG - Kevin Porter, SG - Jalen Green, SF - Eric Gordon, PF - Jabari Smith, C - Alperen Sengun

Pelicans: PG - CJ McCollum, SG- Trey Murphy III, SF - Herbert Jones, PF - Jaxson Hayes, C - Jonas Valanciunas

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Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction

The New Orleans Pelicans will be shorthanded, but that's been their default for most of the season. They're 12-6 without Brandon Ingram and 6-2 without Zion Williamson.

The only meeting between these teams this season was in New Orleans in November, which saw a comfortable 13-point win for the Pelicans. New Orleans is frankly the much better team and should easily handle business again against a floundering Houston squad, even without two of their stars.

Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans -7.0 (-110)

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