The New Orleans Pelicans Are Not a Team to Take Lightly if You Are the Rockets

The Houston Rockets' loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on December 18th should be enough of a reminder not to take the Pelicans lightly. The Pelicans have also been one of the better teams over the last 10 games, so the Rockets must come out and play their A game Friday night.

Jan 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) handles the ball against New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets head back into the Toyota Center Friday night, ready to battle the New Orleans Pelicans. The Rockets are determined to get back into the win column after a disappointing, at times humbling, defeat against the Denver Nuggets.

Falling to a strong Nuggets squad on the grueling second night of a back-to-back is nothing to hang their heads about. Denver boasts a formidable home-court advantage, with the altitude posing a real challenge for visitors. Add in the fatigue from back-to-back games, and the Rockets were fighting uphill from the opening tip.

The issue was how the Rockets lost. They kept the game close in the first half, trailing by only six points at the break, but the third quarter was entirely different. The Rockets had struggled all game long shooting, and it caught up to them in the second half.

The Nuggets took advantage, running away with the game as the Rockets shot just 12 percent from 3-point range and suffered their worst defeat of the season. Now the Rockets must shift their focus to a New Orleans Pelicans team that is playing a lot better than its record suggests.

The Pelicans Are a Lot Better Than Their Record May Suggest

The Pelicans have struggled with inconsistent play and injuries, not just this season but for years now. The issues start with Zion Williamson, a player defined by great potential that has not translated into results on the court.

Coming into this season, Williamson had played a total of 30 games last season and had only played 61 or more games twice in his first six seasons. This season started the same way as he struggled to stay on the court. However, he has changed the injury narrative, as he has played 50 games total this season and 39 of the team's last 40.

Dejounte Murray has also dealt with injuries since being traded to the Pelicans last season, playing only 31 games in 2024-25 and not playing his first game this season until February 24th.

Since entering the lineup, the Pelicans are 4-3 in games he has played in, including the Pelicans' last win over the Toronto Raptors, where he scored a season high 27 points. In fact, the Pelicans have played their best basketball of the season over the last 10 games.

The Pelicans actually have a better record than the Rockets over the last 10 games, having won 7 of those games. That, along with the Rockets' penchant for losing to sub-.500 teams (one of those losses coming against the Pelicans earlier in the season) should keep the Rockets from coming into this game thinking they can just show up and win without much effort.

As you may remember, the Rockets suffered their most disappointing loss of the season against the Pelicans on December 18th. The Rockets lost a 25-point lead to the Pelicans and would go on to lose in overtime.

The Pelicans, with a healthy Williamson and Murray, are not the same team that struggled to start the season. There is no such thing as a must-win in March, especially with 17 games left in the season, but with a tight Western Conference and an improved Pelicans team, the Rockets can't take Friday's matchup for granted.