Now winners of four consecutive games, the resurgent Houston Rockets will look to extend their season-long winning streak to five when they visit Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and the Southwest Division rival New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
The Rockets are coming off a thrilling 104-101 victory on Thursday versus Portland, with Christian Wood, Victor Oladipo, and John Wall all scoring 20 or more points in their first game together as teammates. Head coach Stephen Silas seemed to enjoy the “WOW factor” nickname for that trio of veterans, referring to their last-name initials.
In addition to the trio’s scoring prowess, the Rockets are also becoming known for a rapidly improving defense. Since trading James Harden in the deal that brought in Oladipo, Houston has ranked No. 1 in the NBA in net defensive rating, and they’re 5-3 over that span. With Harden, they ranked No. 22 on defense and were 3-6 over nine games.
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Here’s when you should tune in to see Saturday’s showdown from the Smoothie King Center in downtown New Orleans.
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 30
- Time: 7:00 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (8-9)
- Guard: John Wall
- Guard: Victor Oladipo
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: Christian Wood
New Orleans Pelicans (7-10)
- Guard: Lonzo Ball
- Guard: Eric Bledsoe
- Forward: Brandon Ingram
- Forward: Zion Williamson
- Center: Steven Adams
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The Pelicans will also enter Saturday’s game with momentum after a surprising 131-126 victory (box score) over Milwaukee on Friday night.
On the other hand, it’s possible that head coach Stan Van Gundy could make a late switch to that projected lineup, should New Orleans feel the need to rest any of its regulars on the second night of a back-to-back.
This post originally appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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