Houston Rockets Gear Up For a Showdown in the Big Easy

The Houston Rockets prepare to take on Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans in a late-season showdown.

Yes, championships are not won in March, but the Houston Rockets are the hottest and best team in the league today. Following their 101-96 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Rockets kick-off a three-game road trip starting against the New Orleans Pelicans, Saturday at the Smoothy King Arena in New Orleans.

The last time these two teams faced off, the Pelicans handed the Rockets a heartbreaking 115-113 loss on January 26th. In the loss, Chris Paul tortured his former team by putting up a season-high 38 points while shooting 58 percent from the field.

The Rockets had no answer for the Pelicans All-Star duo as both Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins killed Houston in every way possible.

MVP candidate Anthony Davis led the way for the Pelicans pouring an astonishing 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks. While his running mate Cousins added in 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

Unfortunately for Cousins, his night would end after an Achilles tear following the win against the Rockets.

While the Rockets are playing a team who is playing without their best player, Houston should not get too complacent in the matchup against New Orleans. The Pelicans are one of the seven teams who is constantly fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.

As for the Rockets, even with the injuries to the Golden State Warriors, Houston still needs to create as much room as possible between them and the defending champs.

While averaging 28.0 points and seven assists over his last 10 games, one should expect James Harden to become more of a playmaker, as he is currently averaging 24 points and 14 assists against the Pelicans.

Since he was traded from New Orleans in 2011, Paul has always put on a show in NOLA. Paul is currently averaging 29.0 points against the Pelicans and may pick up more of the scoring load for the night.

As one of the players who could, in fact, steal another MVP award from Harden, Davis is averaging 26.3 points and 11.0 rebounds against the Rockets this season. Over his past 10 games, Davis has been a monster putting up 29.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks. ‘

In this span, Davis has also recorded one 41 point game in a win against the Clippers and a 53 point, 18 rebounds performance in a win against the Phoenix Suns on February 26th.

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If Houston can keep Davis below his season average, look for the Rockets to add another win to their impressing 2018 season.