Pelicans vs. Rockets Injury Report: Houston May Be Down an All-Star Against New Orleans

It will end up being too little too late, but the New Orleans Pelicans are playing the best basketball of their season. The Pels are 12-9 in their last 21 games and are slowly climbing up the Western Conference standings. Unfortunately, the hole that they dug themselves in the first half of the season was too big, and the Pelicans will not be making the postseason. However, the recent surge has given Pelicans fans a reason to watch and some hope for the future. Since they don't control their own draft pick, the Pelicans have no incentive to tank and lose games. This should make things interesting down the stretch.

The Pelicans hope to keep their positive momentum alive as they go to Houston to take on the Rockets. The 40-25 Rockets are in the midst of a competitive playoff seeding race, and they can't afford to lose at home to non-playoff teams. The Pelicans, however, would love to get one over their division rivals.

What will help them in this endeavor is the fact that the Pelicans are almost at full strength. Per their official injury report, only Bryce McGowens is out for Friday's clash. He is dealing with a toe fracture and remains without a timetable to return. The Rockets, on the other hand, are dealing with injury concerns, as they have all season.

Alperen Sengun Questionable to Play Against Pelicans at Full Strength

All-Star center Alperen Sengun popped up on Houston's injury report on Friday, listed as questionable with low back pain. He should be considered a game-time decision, but since the Rockets don't play again until Monday night at home, he may be more willing to give it a go and rest his back for the next few days.

Backup forward Jae'Sean Tate continues to be sidelined as he has missed the last three weeks of action with a knee sprain. He will be joining Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, who have already been ruled out for the season, on the sidelines.

The Rockets are coming off a brutal 36-point loss at Denver on Wednesday night. Head coach Ime Udoka pulled his starters early because of the blowout nature of the game. Besides Amen Thompson, every Rockets player played fewer than 30 minutes against the Nuggets. This should at least help the Rockets be a little fresher on Friday. Whether that will be enough against a young, dynamic Pelicans team that is on a hot streak remains to be seen.