Houston Rockets (44-29, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (25-50, 11th in the Western Conference)
New Orleans; Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans enters the matchup against Houston after losing four straight games.
The Pelicans are 7-8 against the rest of their division. New Orleans has a 14-22 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Rockets are 8-6 against the rest of their division. Houston has a 21-11 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
The 115.3 points per game the Pelicans average are 5.1 more points than the Rockets give up (110.2). The Rockets average 11.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.9 fewer made shots on average than the 14.1 per game the Pelicans give up.
The teams play for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on March 14 the Rockets won 107-105 led by 32 points from Kevin Durant, while Dejounte Murray scored 35 points for the Pelicans.
TOP PERFORMERS: Zion Williamson is averaging 21.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Pelicans. Saddiq Bey is averaging 17.8 points over the last 10 games.
Alperen Sengun is averaging 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists for the Rockets. Durant is averaging 25.5 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 115.9 points, 43.7 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 9.2 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points per game.
Rockets: 5-5, averaging 111.2 points, 47.7 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.1 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.5 points.
INJURIES: Pelicans: Trey Murphy III: day to day (ankle), Bryce McGowens: day to day (toe), Dejounte Murray: out (achilles).
Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.