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Pelicans at Rockets, Jan. 31: Lineups, how to watch, injury reports, uniforms

ben dubose
·3 min read

January wasn’t an ideal month for the Rockets, who are 7-9 and will finish with a monthly record below .500 for the first time in the 2023-24 NBA regular season thus far. (For context, Houston went 7-7 in December and 8-5 in November, and October only had three games — making it not a normal month for comparisons.)

But Houston does have some momentum as this month winds down, as evidenced by two blowout wins in its last three games.

Now, as a three-game homestand continues, can Jalen Green and the Rockets (22-24) build on that when the New Orleans Pelicans (26-21) visit Toyota Center? By record, the Pelicans are superior to both the Los Angeles Lakers (24-24) and clearly the Charlotte Hornets (10-35), and those are the teams Houston feasted on in recent days.

Green and rookie Cam Whitmore have emerged as standouts on offense of late, and second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. is back in the lineup after missing time with a left ankle sprain. That gives head coach Ime Udoka more reliable options than he’s had in some time to help complement rising star Alperen Sengun on the interior.

Led by Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, New Orleans enters Wednesday with three straight losses and four in its last five games. The Pelicans are 0-2 against the Rockets this season, having lost in Houston in November and again in New Orleans prior to Christmas. Sengun set a career-high with 37 points in that Dec. 23 meeting.

When and How to Watch

Probable starting lineups

Houston Rockets (22-24)

  • Guard: Fred VanVleet

  • Guard: Jalen Green

  • Forward: Dillon Brooks

  • Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.

  • Center: Alperen Sengun

New Orleans Pelicans (26-21)

  • Guard: CJ McCollum

  • Guard: Herbert Jones

  • Forward: Brandon Ingram

  • Forward: Zion Williamson

  • Center: Jonas Valanciunas

Projected lineups are based on each team’s previous game.

Injury reports

Houston’s injury report lists Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) as out.

The Pelicans are listing Herbert Jones (right adductor soreness) as questionable for Wednesday’s game, while Dereon Seabron is away from the team while on an NBA G League stint.

Jan. 31 uniform choices

  • Rockets: White Association Edition

  • Pelicans: Blue Icon Edition

(via LockerVision)

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Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire