New Orleans vs. Houston. NBA Match Prediction
On December 26, New Orleans will meet Houston in a regular NBA championship match on its home court. The game will take place at the Smoothie King Center in Louisiana and will begin at 04:00 Moscow time. Willie Green team suffered a defeat to Denver in their previous home game. Will the Pelicans be able to rehabilitate themselves in front of their fans in the game with the Rockets and what bets should they choose? — read our forecast.

Command Analysis

New Orleans Pelicans

Current form
New Orleans has lost its last seven games in a row. The Pelicans lost to Denver 129-132 in overtime on December 24 at home. Jordan Hawkins led the losing team with 25 points. CJ McCollum had 24. Trey Murphy and Yves Missy each scored 21. Willie Green team (five wins and 25 losses) is in 15th place in the Western Conference standings.
Disqualifications and injuries
New Orleans is approaching the upcoming match with serious losses. Three leading players are in the team infirmary: Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado. And also several basketball players on the bench.
Interesting facts for betting
New Orleans and Houston average 225 points in head-to-head matches (statistics for the last ten matches).
Estimated composition
Dejounte Murray - CJ McCollum - Trey Murphy - Herbert Jones - Eve Missy.

Houston Rockets

Current form
Houston has won its last three games in a row. In the game on December 24, the Rockets defeated Charlotte on the road with a score of 114:101. The greatest contribution to the victory was made by Jabari Smith, who scored 21 points, made 11 rebounds and two assists. Amen Thompson also made a double-double (19-11-3). Fred VanVleet recorded 20 points, Cam Whitmore - 17, Alperen Şengün - 16. Aime Udoka team (20 wins and nine losses) is in second place in the Western Conference standings.
Disqualifications and injuries
The Rockets went to Louisiana with almost their strongest roster. Starting five player Dillon Brooks is in the team infirmary.
Interesting facts for betting
Houston has beaten New Orleans in the franchise history in the regular season in 45 games. The Pelicans have beaten the Rockets in 38 games.
Estimated composition
Fred VanVleet - Jalen Green - Amen Thompson - Jabari Smith - Alperen Şengün.
Trends
Bet Total rebounds Missy over 9.5
Missy averages 8.9 rebounds per game.
1.87Murray Total Assists Under 8.5
Murray averages 7.2 assists per game
1.87Tip and bets
Houston has exceeded the expectations of fans at the beginning of the current championship. The Rockets, after several disastrous seasons, are showing excellent results this year and are rightfully among the conference leaders. New Orleans, on the other hand, is not pleasing its fans at all. The team clearly lacks depth. In this situation, it is worth choosing to bet on the away team. The team from Texas will have to achieve a convincing victory over the main outsider of the tournament.
Our prediction is a Houston victory with a handicap of (-5.5) points, including overtime, at 1.72
Bet on individual total
Houston will put an almost optimal lineup on the court. With all the leaders on the court, the team from Texas has not shown very high efficiency this season. The average score is 112.2. And in away games it is a little lower - 111.6. And this time the Rockets will not be able to load the opponent basket decently.
Our prediction is Houston individual total under 112.5 points including overtime at 2.05
Bet on the first half
The Houston basketball players will start the game with the Pelicans in a good mood after a successful trip to North Carolina. There is no doubt that the Rockets will try to achieve victory in order to build on their success. The players of Udoka team will show who is the boss on the court from the first minutes of the match and will seize the initiative.
Our prediction is a Houston win in the first half of the game for 1.47