NEW ORLEANS – On Saturday, the Pelicans will catch a slipping Houston Rockets squad. They had dropped three straight against playoff-caliber Eastern Conference foes before blasting the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, and sit at 14-12. Despite their recent skid, Houston’s season has been impressive. Notably, they currently rank sixth in defensive rating (110.4), a leap from 29th last season.
Perimeter stoppers compose the foundation of Houston’s defense, led by elite defenders like Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. They pressure the ball relentlessly and aim to close gaps when attackers blow by. As a result, opposing offenses take just 31.8% of their shots at the rim against Houston, only trailing Golden State and Milwaukee.
Unlike a team like the Bucks, Houston is mid-table in three-pointers allowed. Given the defensive limitations of Alperen Sengun, the Rockets invert the typical structure of a high-pressure defense. Rather than funneling players into the rim protector, Houston aims to prevent slashers from getting to the rim.
Though defenders like Eason, Brooks, Ja’Sean Tate and Jabari Smith are long and athletic, teams shoot 32.4% from deep against them, the lowest number in the league. Houston’s defensive talent may factor in but there’s certainly a luck component there as well. New Orleans shoots the fourth fewest threes of any team in the league, so they may look to batter the Rockets inside as they tend to.
Zion Williamson has struggled to impose himself consistently this season. Outside of a few dominant stretches a game, he can go cold and phase out of the offense. Over his last eight games, Williamson scored more than 20 points just three times. If Houston’s strong perimeter defense limits Brandon Ingram’s mid-range threat, Williamson must take over at the rim.
As he is on most nights, Williamson’s aggression on offense can swing this matchup. If he’s focused on attacking the rim and playing within the flow of the offense, the Pelicans could batter the Rockets’ back line which lacks a true rim-protecting threat outside of Eason. Houston gives up the highest free-throw rate to opposing offenses of any team in the league (30.3%), which could open avenues for Williamson to add points in bunches.
Sengun is no slouch, especially on offense. He’s a dominant mid-range scorer, dropping in all manner of funky floaters and fadeaways. His expert flexibility for a center lets him dance around slower-footed big men, which could spell trouble for Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas if he spreads away from the bucket. If the Pelicans contain his offense, their scorers can do the rest.
On any given night, the Rockets’ defense can feel impenetrable. To best their disciplined, well-organized unit, the Pelicans must attack downhill and look to kick from there, opening lanes for their off-ball attackers to score and pass. If they can do that, the Pelicans can continue their strong stretch of play.
Analysis by Ben Pfeifer.
Most Recent Starting Lineups
| Houston Rockets | New Orleans Pelicans |
| G – Fred VanVleet | G – CJ McCollum |
| G – Jalen Green | G – Brandon Ingram |
| F – Dillon Brooks | F – Herbert Jones |
| F – Jabari Smith Jr. | F – Trey Murphy III |
| C – Alperen Sengun | C – Jonas Valanciunas |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: Larry Nance Jr. (right rib fracture) and Matt Ryan (right elbow surgery) are Out. Naji Marshall (right ankle sprain) is Probable. Zion Williamson (illness) and Cody Zeller (ankle) are Questionable.
Houston Rockets: Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon) is Out. Reggie Bullock Jr. (illness) is Doubtful. Tari Eason (left lower leg soreness) is Questionable.
Who: Houston Rockets (14-12) at New Orleans Pelicans (17-12)
Season Series:
- Nov. 10: Rockets def. Pelicans 104-101
- Dec. 23: Rockets at Pelicans
- Jan. 31: Pelicans at Rockets
- Feb. 22: Rockets at Pelicans
Where: Smoothie King Center
When: Dec. 23, 6:00 PM CT
Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans
Where to listen: WRNO 99.5
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The sputtering teams are usually ones that give Pels trouble
Segurun absolutely abused Val. There was not a Segurun pump fake that Val didn’t fall for.
And, the lack of a reliable PG comes back to bite the Pels in the ass again. Come crunch time, Point Zion and Point BI is a fantasy.
Team competed, but competing ain’t winning.
Jonas had 6 turnovers tonight. SMDH
We had a five point lead going into fourth quarter. We scored 20 points, Rockets scored 27. So, Willie, how is that defense first approach working out for you? DD was truly abysmal last night, exceeded only in abysmal-ness by JR-E. And yet Herb stayed on the bench the entirety of the 4th quarter, and Hawkins did not sniff the floor. And, of course, BI reverted to his old ways at crunch time of preferring dribble-dribble-dribble high-difficulty twos over movement and open three pointers.
After being abused by Zion in the first half, Udoka packed the lane tighter than Scrooge’s wallet. Willie’s response? Put fewer shooters on the floor, not more.
Not all on Willie however. The next 50/50 ball that BI wins will be his first. Jonas had one of his worst games of they year. McCollum was completely taken out of his game.
Finally, Willie talks about the players playing with urgency. How about the front office. We have stockpiled draft picks and have obvious needs at back-up center and point guard. This is our window. Time to get serious about winning.