The New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets are set to square off in a Southwest Division matchup at 7 p.m. ET Sunday at Toyota Center. Houston is 6-16 overall and 5-5 at home, while the Pelicans are 7-18 overall and 4-10 on the road. New Orleans has alternated wins and losses over its last four while Houston is on a five game winning streak.
New Orleans is favored by 2.5 points in the latest Rockets vs. Pelicans odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 220.5. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Rockets picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 7 of the 2021-22 NBA season up over $1,500 on all top-rated NBA picks this season. It's also on a stunning 117-77 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread that dates back to last season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Pelicans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Pelicans vs. Rockets:
- Rockets vs. Pelicans spread: Rockets +2.5
- Rockets vs. Pelicans over-under: 220.5 points
What you need to know about the Rockets
Houston came out on top in a nail-biter against the Orlando Magic on Friday, sneaking past 118-116. The Rockets can attribute much of their success to power forward Christian Wood, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 14 rebounds, and shooting guard Eric Gordon, who had 24 points. Rookie Alperen Sengun had a nice game off the bench with 13 points and five assists.
Houston is averaging 119.6 points over its five game winning streak compared to just 100.2 points over the first 17 games of the season. But the Rockets will be shorthanded on Sunday without the starting backcourt of Jalen Green, who is out with a hamstring strain, and Kevin Porter Jr. who will miss the game with a thigh contusion. They account for nearly 27 points and over eight assists per game, so coach Stephen Silas will have to look elsewhere to fill that void.
What you need to know about the Pelicans
Meanwhile, the Pelicans strolled past the Dallas Mavericks with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 107-91. Small forward Brandon Ingram was the offensive standout of the contest for New Orleans, almost posting a triple-double on 24 points, 12 assists, and eight boards. New Orleans was blistering from beyond the arc as it knocked down 40 percent of its 30 three-point attempts.
Zion Williamson (foot) remains out for the Pelicans, while Josh Hart (knee) is questionable. The team will rely on Ingram and new addition, Jonas Valanciunas, for scoring. The former Grizzly is averaging a career-high of 18.6 points per game while knocking down 46.9 percent of his 3PAs which ranks third in the NBA.
How to make Pelicans vs. Rockets picks
The model has simulated Rockets vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Pelicans vs. Rockets? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA picks to find out.
