The resurgent Rockets will look to keep their winning groove going and get a little revenge when they visit the Pelicans on Saturday.
The smile on James Harden’s face is one of “I told you so.” As in, he told us that the Houston Rockets wasn’t dead, though many of us may have thought otherwise.
The Rockets will look to keep the winning groove going during their toughest stretch of the season when they pay a visit to the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that is still trying to find itself.
Houston (19-15) was that team throughout much of the early part of the season, but now, Harden is playing at an MVP-level again, and the Rockets have finally gotten contributions from the other Rockets. That has led to the fuse of this team being lit, and they have no plans of coming back to earth anytime soon.
They swept a three-game homestand, ending it with a thumping note as they ran the Boston Celtics out of the Toyota Center on Thursday (127-113). Houston will now go east of Interstate 10 to face a New Orleans team (16-20) that is still searching for who they are as a team.
They’re doing it within pressure from many NBA circles that the team should trade their superstar, Anthony Davis, and begin a rebuild. Davis, though, is signed through 2020, and the team has said that it isn’t looking at trading Davis anytime soon. It’s hard, though, for Davis, who is having another MVP-year, to look at this team and not shake his head.
The Pelicans are stocked with talent, but it hasn’t translated into the win column. They did, however, snap a five-game losing streak on Friday, when they won a close one over the Dallas Mavericks (114-112) to kick off a three-game homestand.
The Pelicans blew out the Rockets on their home floor, 131-112, to open the season, and this is the first meeting between the two teams in New Orleans.
Rockets at Pelicans live stream details:
When: Saturday, Dec. 29
Time: 7 pm EST/6 pm CST
Where: New Orleans, LA
Venue: Smoothie King Center
TV Info: NBA TV
Live Stream: Fubo.tv (free seven-day trial!), NBA League Pass