Rockets Hit New Orleans in Desperate Need of a Win
Big Easy Deja Vu. Reloaded Backcourt. Ride Off the Schneide.
Houston finds themselves in a much more precarious situation than their previous trip to New Orleans. On January 30th, the Rockets won their fifth straight game of the year, beating the Pelicans in the Big Easy. The squad will look for some of that Big Easy Deja Vu tonight, as Houston limps into New Orleans losers of three of their past four games. The Rockets will try and right the ship with some added ammunition they sorely missed on Monday night.
The Rockets backcourt gets reloaded in New Orleans on Tuesday, as John Wall and Eric Gordon return to the lineup after resting Monday night. It’s unsure if Victor Oladipo will play at the moment. He had been resting one of the games on back-to-backs, but when asked about it a few days ago, he said “we’ll see.” Regardless, Houston gets its two most consistent scorers (besides Christian Wood, who remains out with an ankle injury) back in the lineup. The Rockets won the previous game in late last month in New Orleans, 126-112. The Pelicans are 10-12, only a half game behind Houston in the claustrophobic Western Conference standings. This is a huge game for the Rockets to keep pace with the group of teams bunched in the West, and avoid falling out of the playoff-picture.
After winning seven of eight games, Houston has lost two straight, and three of their past four contests. Tuesday night presents a great opportunity for John Wall and company to get off the schneide, and prove their still capable of holding ship while they wait for the ever-so-valuable Christian Wood to return from his injury. For now, the Rockets just have to work with the guys on the roster. Tonight, they’ll have more ammunition on the offensive end to avoid a seven-point fourth quarter nightmare like the one that occurred last night in Charlotte. The Pelicans are a much better team than the Hornets, and have been on the rise… expect another precarious night of Houston Rockets basketball, with hopefully a little Big Easy Deja Vu.
Smoothie King Center: New Orleans, Louisiana
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (11-12): White
New Orleans Pelicans (10-12): Red
TV: 6:30 PM CT – TNT