The Houston Rockets (37-25) venture to Smoothie King Center for a test against the New Orleans Pelicans (17-45) in search of the organization’s first win since Feb. 26.
Fresh off a 14-point road loss to the surging Indiana Pacers, Alperen Şengün and the Rockets are in dire need of a bounce-back performance to avoid an even greater slide in the 2025 Western Conference playoff picture.
As of March 6, Houston sits a game behind the Memphis Grizzlies as the No. 5-seed in the conference. Steph Curry‘s Warriors, with a recent boost from newly-acquired Jimmy Butler, are positioned three games back of Ime Udoka’s group as the No. 6-seed.
With Memphis superstar big Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined with a sprained ankle and Ja Morant hampered with a shoulder injury, Houston absolutely needs to capitalize to secure home court and advance in the standings. Tonight’s game against New Orleans serves as the perfect opportunity.
To secure a triumph and return to the win column, here are three keys to tonight’s performance:
Limit offensive rebounds
While Houston only allowed five offensive rebounds to Indiana on March 4, the Pelicans present an entirely different problem. New Orleans’ 12.2 offensive rebounds per game ranks seventh in the NBA, 2.7 of which arrive from star forward Zion Williamson. He, alongside stretchy wing Trey Murphy III and experienced big Kelly Olynyk, can create a headache for opposing coaches on any given night. Şengün, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. should prevent Olynyk and Murphy III off the glass, but Williamson is a handful for anybody.
