Game 47: Houston Rockets At New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Our Houston Rockets took care of business yesterday afternoon!
What a comeback — after they were down in the 4th quarter, they were able to pull together and not only take the lead back but had the ability to actually keep it.
Josh Smith‘s presence has seemed to mean everything for this team and it appears that they’re finally having fun out there, like they once were.
It’s been a pleasure to watch and it’s making us fans grin for ear-to-ear.
This IS your Rockets — they way they were built and supposed to operate.
We still have a lot of season left but there’s plenty of hope that this season won’t be another drop in the bucket.
As they take on the 16-27 Pelicans tonight, we most all keep that notion at the forefront.
So who’s leading the charge for the Pelicans?
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Anthony Davis is the leading scorer (23.3 PPG), top board-getter (10.3 RPG) and shot-blocker (2.50 BPG). Tyreke Evans is the assist man (6.8 APG) and the steals king is (1.30 SPG).
Let’s talk about what the Pelicans do well.
They are no strangers to offensive prowess. The Pelicans are tied for 9th in the league — with the Atlanta Hawks — as far as offensive efficiency, averaging 103.2 points per 100 possessions.
They take care of the basketball. The Pelicans are 5th in league in terms of turnover ratio, with 12.5 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.
They attack the boards on defense. The Pelicans are tied for 8th in league as far as defensive rebound rate (77.1).
Injuries:
Dwight Howard sprained his left ankle early into last Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. He didn’t return that night and missed the game against the Milwaukee Bucks last Friday. There is a possibility that he’ll be available sometime this week as the Rockets are on the road against the Pels, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, returning back Saturday for a game against the Washington Wizards, the second game of a back-to-back. My best guess is that he’ll sit out tomorrow night and make a return as early as against the Spurs Wednesday. But with Dwight, you never know so we’ll just cross our fingers. His status is officially day-to-day and I’d likely rule him as QUESTIONABLE for tonight.
If you’ve been under a rock lately, Donatas Motiejunas‘ back issues have flared up again. He has planned to sit out until he’s pain-free so no specific timeline has been set. This is such a setback to a guy that’s been working so hard to get back into a rhythm. There was no structural damage to the back itself so he may be back sooner than we think but he may not. We just have to cross our fingers for a speedy recovery.
Sam Dekker had back surgery back in November but the 2015 first-round pick seems to be edging closer to a return. He was seen shooting on the practice court for the first time since heading to the injured list. This is certainly a sign of good things to come.
There are no injuries to report for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Sources: Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.
Next: Will Ty Lawson Be Retained Beyond The Trade Deadline?
Three Things to Watch:
Prediction:
106-97 in a Rockets’ win!
The Rockets hit the road to take on the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!