The New Orleans Pelicans will look to improve on their playoff positioning in the Western Conference as they host the struggling Houston Rockets on Thursday night. 

New Orleans (33-22) has won three straight and is currently a slim NBA odds favorite over the Dallas Mavericks to dodge the Play-In Tournament odds. Houston (24-30) has dropped five of its last six, as it watches its playoff hopes fade.

The Rockets have struggled to win any games at all away from home, and are now heading facing a hot New Orleans team with motivation. We’ll discuss who bettors should back in our free NBA picks and predictions for Rockets vs. Pelicans on February 22. 

Rockets vs Pelicans odds

Rockets vs Pelicans predictions

There are brighter days ahead for Houston. Alperen Sengun (21.2 ppg), Jalen Green (18.0 ppg), and Jabari Smith Jr. (13.2 ppg) form a young core of talented players who may just need one or two more pieces to become a perennial playoff team in the Western Conference. Even now, the Rockets have a positive point differential (+0.6), a sign that they are a bit better than their record.

But Houston hasn’t been able to translate that into many wins. And the situation has been particularly awful on the road, where the Rockets are just 5-21 away from home. That’s the worst record in the conference, with only the two worst teams in the league — the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons — posting worse road records. 

Tonight, the Rockets will have to face a deep, talented, and confident Pelicans team. New Orleans regularly plays a lineup in which all five players on the floor are scoring threats. That means that even if Brandon Ingram does miss tonight’s game with an illness — he’s currently questionable — Zion Williamson (22.4 ppg), CJ McCollum (19.0 ppg) & Co. can carry the load.

The Pelicans have won seven of eight, with five of those wins coming on the road. They should be even more comfortable on their home court, where New Orleans has put up a solid 16-10 mark on the season.

We can also look at the last meeting between these teams to get a better idea how this one might play out. Jonas Valanciunas stepped up in that game, leading five Pelicans in double figures with 25 points and 14 rebounds as New Orleans won 110-99 on Houston’s home court. Notably, Williamson missed that game, which means the Pelicans should have even more scoring punch tonight — especially if Ingram is also cleared to play.

New Orleans has won five of its last seven games by at least nine points, a margin that would allow it to cover the spread tonight. Despite some earlier struggles, this talented squad has established itself as a legitimate playoff team. On average, they are several points better than the Rockets, and that gap should be even bigger when the Pelicans are fully healthy, and the Rockets have to play another tough game on the road.

I’m expecting New Orleans to come out of the gate in the second half and continue its momentum from before the All-Star break. My pick is for the Pelicans to cover the spread tonight.

My best bet: Pelicans -7 (-114 at FanDuel)

Rockets vs Pelicans same-game parlay

Pelicans -7

Under 229

Zion Williamson to score 20+ points

The Pelicans should win this game going away at home. That sets us up for a same-game parlay, as we can combine that with the Under at 229 points. All three matchups between these teams have come in well Under that mark, with the biggest total of the three games being a mere 210 points. I don’t expect a dramatic change tonight.

I’m also predicting that Williamson gets at least 20 points in tonight’s game. Zion has hit this mark in six of his last eight games, and will be fully rested following the All-Star game, so fatigue won’t be a factor for him. Even in a lower-scoring game, this is a great pick to complete our SGP.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Rockets vs Pelicans spread and Over/Under analysis

The Pelicans opened this game as a seven-point favorite. While you can still find that line, the consensus spread has moved to New Orleans -7.5, and you can expect to pay a bit extra if you want to get rid of the hook.
Both teams have been playing well against the spread this season. The Rockets have a 28-25-1 ATS record on the year, while New Orleans has done even better at 30-24-1 ATS.

The Rockets have simply been a woeful road team this year. While they found some success early in the season against New Orleans, that was against a very different Pelicans team. New Orleans is now playing at full strength, and has shown it can score double-digit wins against quality opponents on the road — let alone weak teams coming to visit. I’m taking the Pelicans to cover the spread tonight.

The Over/Under for tonight’s game opened at 226.5 points. That number shot up quickly, and the consensus total sits at 229 points as of midday on Thursday. You can find -110 odds on either side of that total at virtually every site.

Both teams have generally played well for the Under this season. The Under holds a 29-25 edge in Houston’s games, while also having the 29-26 advantage when the Pelicans play this year. 

I understand that the Pelicans can score points quickly when they’re healthy, but this total is still too high for my taste. Both teams play below that total on average, with even New Orleans playing to a 228.7 this season, and the Rockets coming in lower (226.0). When these two teams have played each other, they’ve come in way below that total, and both teams are average in pace metrics. I’m suspicious, which stopped me from making this my best bet tonight, but I’m still leaning hard towards the Under.

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Rockets vs Pelicans betting trend to know

Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last five away games. Find more NBA betting trends for Rockets vs. Pelicans.

Rockets vs Pelicans game info

Rockets vs Pelicans latest injuries

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