Rockets vs. Pelicans Saturday Prediction
The under has been a great play when the Rockets and Pelicans get together but given the defensive struggles of New Orleans, will it cash tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
505 Houston Rockets (+1) at 506 New Orleans Pelicans (-1); o/u 223.5
8:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, January 30, 2021
Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
TV: N/A
Houston Rockets DFS Spin
DeMarcus Cousins only played 11 minutes vs. the Blazers on Thursday with Christian Wood (ankle) back, scoring six points with four rebounds, three dimes, one steal and one triple. Wood and Cousins have only logged six minutes together all season, and unfortunately Silas did not keep his word about finding more minutes for Boogie after his strong play. Boogie averaged a 14/5/5 line with two steals and two blocks in four spot-starts this season to reward his patient fantasy managers, and while tonight was discouraging, we’d recommend holding him in the hope that Silas eventually rolls with the double-big combo for stretches.
New Orleans Pelicans DFS Spin
Zion Williamson dished a career-high seven assists during Friday’s wild 131-126 win vs. the Bucks, adding 21 points (7-of-13 FGs, 7-of-10 FTs), nine rebounds, one steal and one block. After a slow start in the dimes department, Zion now has double-digit assists in eight straight games. He’s also collecting more defensive stats, so he’s ticking multiple boxes for fantasy managers. He won’t hit 3-pointers and he’ll damage your free throw percentage more often than not, but an increase in dimes and defensive stats would still carry him closer to top-50 value in 8-cat/9-cat. It helps that he’s only getting better as the season progresses.
Rockets vs. Pelicans Betting Prediction
The under is 34-16-1 in the last 51 meetings between these two teams and is 20-6-1 in the last 27 meetings at Smoothie King Center. The under is also 4-1 in the Rockets’ last five games when they’re a road underdog, is 6-1 in their last seven games coming off a win and is 34-16-1 in their last 51 games overall. The under is 40-19 in Houston’s last 59 games as an underdog either home or away as well.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: ROCKETS/PELICANS UNDER 223.5