With nine losses in their past 10 games, the young Houston Rockets would love to turn things around as the second half of the 2022-23 NBA season nears. But that task remains challenging on Wednesday, when they visit New Orleans for the first night of a back-to-back.
The Pelicans will be short-handed. Star forwards Brandon Ingram (left great toe contusion) and Zion Williamson (right hamstring strain) are unavailable due to injury. But led by veteran guard C.J. McCollum and promising second-year guard Trey Murphy III, there’s still plenty of firepower for the home side.
The Rockets are coming off a competitive home loss to Dallas. Kevin Porter Jr. (25 points, 55% FG, 6 assists) and Alperen Sengun (16 points, 71.4% FG, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) were among the standouts.
However, they need more from talented second-year guard Jalen Green, who shot just 29.7% versus the Mavs and is shooting only 39.6% from the field and 28.3% on 3-pointers over his last 18 games. His regression is a big reason Houston has fallen from No. 17 in offensive rating in November to dead last (No. 30) in the NBA since.