New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets: How to watch online, live stream info, start time, TV channel

3rd Quarter Report

Only one more quarter stands between the Pelicans and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. Sitting on a score of 84-79, they have looked like the better team, but there's still one more quarter to play.

The Pelicans came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Houston Rockets @ New Orleans Pelicans

Current Records: Houston 14-12, New Orleans 17-12

How To Watch

When: Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: Bally Sports - New Orleans
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $5.39

What to Know

The Rockets have enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. Having just played yesterday, they will head out on the road to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. ET on December 23rd at Smoothie King Center. After the pair made easy work of their previous opponents, one of them is set up to suffer a discouraging change of fortune on Saturday.

Even though the Rockets have not done well against the Mavericks recently (they were 2-8 in their previous ten matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Everything went Houston's way against Dallas as Houston made off with a 122-96 win. The Rockets pushed the score to 89-60 by the end of the third, a deficit the Mavericks cut but never quite recovered from.

The Rockets' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jabari Smith, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds, and Alperen Sengun, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for the Pelicans on Thursday. They put the hurt on Cleveland with a sharp 123-104 victory.

Among those leading the charge was Trey Murphy III, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 28 points and 3 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season.

Houston's victory bumped their record up to 14-12. As for New Orleans, they pushed their record up to 17-12 with that victory, which was their fourth straight on the road.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Rockets haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.6 turnovers per game. However, it's not like the Pelicans struggle in that department as they've been averaging only 12.9 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

The Rockets are hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. Be careful betting them against the spread as while they're 16-8-2 ATS overall, they're only 2-7-1 against New Orleans in their most recent matchups.