New Orleans has had a slew of injuries to deal with this season, which is part of the reason for their poor season. The Rockets don’t have that as an excuse. They’ve played well below expectations with a full roster. The first three games of the season series were decided by 10 points and you can expect this one to be along the same lines.
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LOOK AHEAD
Welcome to the real world, Alvin Gentry. As an assistant with Golden State last season, Gentry had little concerns over injuries as the Warriors went rather unscathed in that department on their way to the NBA Championship. That run had a lot to do with Gentry becoming the coach of the Pelicans. But this season, he hasn’t had the same luck on the injury front. Three players are done for the year due to injury, including starting shooting guard Tyreke Evans. In his stead the Pels signed Bryce Dejean-Jones, who was a find from the D-League. But playing with his first NBA contract, Dejean-Jones went down with a fractured wrist. There was some good news for New Orleans on the injury front. Eric Gordon returned after missing 16 games and drained 31 on the T-Wolves. It’s just been hard to get a read on this team with so many injuries forcing Gentry to mix and match players to try and find the right fit.
While the Pelicans have dealt with injuries all season, the Rockets have no excuse for what their season has turned into. A run to the Western Conference finals last season had Houston poised for another crack at joining the elite teams in the NBA. It hasn’t worked out. The Rockets are in a battle just to make the postseason, currently a half-game ahead of Utah for the eighth spot in the conference, and just five games in front of New Orleans. A loss in Milwaukee on Monday was Houston’s second straight and sixth in the past eight games.
INJURIES
Anthony Davis sprained his big toe during pregame warm-ups Saturday and was held out from playing against Minnesota. Though Davis skipped Monday’s practice, the injury isn’t expected to keep him out of the lineup. Coach Alvin Gentry said he “anticipates” Davis playing against the Rockets. Center Omar Asik will likely miss another week with a sprained right ankle.
Forward Clint Capela missed the last three games and continues to be hobbled by a sprained right ankle. The Rockets did get Donatas Motiejunas back in the lineup, giving them a big body to work with Dwight Howard up front.
KEY MATCHUP
Pelicans’ guard Eric Gordon made his return to the lineup on Saturday night after a 16-game absence with a broken finger on his shooting hand. He couldn’t have picked a better time to come back. Gordon’s exit from the injury list provided a significant boost as he scored a season-high 31 points. Because of the finger injury, Gordon was able to do cardio work during the time off, keeping him in excellent shape to play nearly 34 minutes against Minnesota. And with Evans and Dejean-Jones done for the year, the Pels won’t waste any time working their sharp-shooter into the rotation. Gordon averaged nearly 15 points per game before the injury and is the Pelicans’ top perimeter threat with over 100 three-pointers. Gordon hit 9 of 17 field goals, including 4 of 9 from deep in his first game back and showed no signs of rust. He’ll likely be the most rested player on the floor Wednesday and won’t get much resistance from a Rockets club that is allergic to playing defense.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The first three games of the season series were decided by a combined total of 10 points. That gives us a pretty good idea of how closely matched the NBA teams are. For New Orleans a lot depends on the health of Davis, who missed Saturday’s game with toe injury. The Pels suffered a disheartening home loss to the Wolves in that one with Karl-Anthony Towns going off for 30 points and 15 boards while not having to worry about the middle of the defense. And that is just another indicator of how important Davis is to the team’s success. Not only is he gifted on the offensive end, he plays a hard-nosed brand of defense, which oftentimes goes overlooked. Coach Gentry said he expects Davis to play on Wednesday and the team had three full days between games. That should be enough time for the big toe to be stuck right up Houston’s rear end.
New Orleans 109, Houston 104
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