2025-26 · Regular Season · Final
Houston Rockets at New Orleans Pelicans
Thursday, December 18, 2025 · tip-off 8:00 PM ET
HOU 0–1@NOP 1–0 records going into the game NBA.com recap ↗
Forecast and result
| Team | Projected | Final | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOU Houston Rockets | 125 | 128 | +3 |
| NOP New Orleans Pelicans (home) | 113 | 133 | +20 |
Forecast: Houston Rockets to win, 80% win probability, projected margin 12.
Inside the Forecast
How the inputs are builtWhat the model received
| Input | HOU | NOP |
|---|---|---|
| Elo ratingMargin-of-victory Elo; 1500 is average. | 1632 | 1330 |
| Elo gap, home minus road, incl. home court | −232 | |
| Season scoring marginPoints per game, blended with last season early in the year. | +9.7 | −8.6 |
| Games played this season | 23 | 27 |
| Offensive rating, last 10Points scored per 100 possessions. | 119.1 | 117.8 |
| Defensive rating, last 10Points allowed per 100 possessions; lower is better. | 111.6 | 119.3 |
| Combined pace, last 10Possessions per game, both teams. | 99.8 | |
| Rotation points missingPoints per game of rotation players listed Out or Doubtful. | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Rest days | 3 | 4 |
| Second night of a back-to-back | No | No |
This forecast can't be broken down exactly: the model version that made this forecast is not available. Explanations are shown only when the model that made a forecast can be rebuilt and reproduces it. How explanations are checked
Built from the box scores
How the breakdowns workWhere each input came from. Open a row to see the games and box-score stats behind it. A breakdown is shown only when rebuilding it from the stored stats gives exactly the number the model received.
Elo ratingHOU1632NOP1330
Updated after every game from the final score only: wins, losses and margin. Each season starts by keeping 75% of last season's distance from the 1500 average.
HOU1632
- Ended last season at 1585 → started this one at 1564
- First 13 games: +73.3
- Last 10 games: −5.3
- LDEN109–112−6.6
- W@PHX114–92+15.9
- W@GSW104–100+6.0
- W@UTA129–101+7.8
- L@UTA125–133−17.8
- WSAC121–95+4.4
- WPHX117–98+7.3
- L@DAL109–122−20.2
- WLAC115–113+1.7
- L@DEN125–128−3.8
NOP1330
- Ended last season at 1302 → started this one at 1352
- First 17 games: −56.8
- Last 10 games: +35.6
- WCHI143–130+18.9
- LMEM128–133−5.1
- L@GSW96–104−2.0
- L@LAL121–133−2.0
- LMIN142–149−2.8
- LMIN116–125−3.1
- L@BKN101–119−10.7
- LSAS132–135−2.6
- WPOR143–120+27.5
- W@CHI114–104+17.5
Season scoring marginHOU+9.7NOP−8.6
Points scored minus points allowed per game this season, mixed with last season's margin until 20 games are played.
HOU+9.7
Scores 120.8, allows 111.2 over 23 games: +9.7 a game.
NOP−8.6
Scores 114.2, allows 122.8 over 27 games: −8.6 a game.
Offensive rating, last 10HOU119.1NOP117.8
Points scored per 100 possessions. Split into the four factors: right of center helps the team, left hurts, in points per 100 possessions compared with the league average (2025-26 to date: 114.9).
HOU119.1scored, +4.2 vs league
| Factor | HOU | League | hurtshelps | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting (eFG%) | 54.9% | 54.6% | +0.4 | |
| Turnovers (TOV%) | 13.4% | 12.4% | −1.4 | |
| Offensive rebounding (OREB%) | n/a | 26.2% | – | |
| Free throws (FTM per FGA) | 0.207 | 0.222 | −0.4 | |
| Everything else | +5.6 |
Offensive rebounds weren't recorded for 7 of these 10 games, so rebounding isn't split out; its effect is inside "Everything else".
NOP117.8scored, +2.9 vs league
| Factor | NOP | League | hurtshelps | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting (eFG%) | 54.6% | 54.6% | −0.0 | |
| Turnovers (TOV%) | 9.9% | 12.4% | +3.6 | |
| Offensive rebounding (OREB%) | n/a | 26.2% | – | |
| Free throws (FTM per FGA) | 0.219 | 0.222 | −0.1 | |
| Everything else | −0.6 |
Offensive rebounds weren't recorded for 8 of these 10 games, so rebounding isn't split out; its effect is inside "Everything else".
Defensive rating, last 10HOU111.6NOP119.3
Points allowed per 100 possessions, built from what opponents did in those games. Bars point right when the defense held opponents below average. Split into the four factors: right of center helps the team, left hurts, in points per 100 possessions compared with the league average (2025-26 to date: 114.9).
HOU111.6allowed, −3.3 vs league
| Factor | Opponents | League | hurtshelps | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting (eFG%) | 53.7% | 54.6% | +1.4 | |
| Turnovers (TOV%) | 13.0% | 12.4% | +0.9 | |
| Offensive rebounding (OREB%) | n/a | 26.2% | – | |
| Free throws (FTM per FGA) | 0.213 | 0.222 | +0.2 | |
| Everything else | +0.8 |
Offensive rebounds weren't recorded for 7 of these 10 games, so rebounding isn't split out; its effect is inside "Everything else".
NOP119.3allowed, +4.4 vs league
| Factor | Opponents | League | hurtshelps | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting (eFG%) | 56.3% | 54.6% | −2.6 | |
| Turnovers (TOV%) | 11.5% | 12.4% | −1.4 | |
| Offensive rebounding (OREB%) | n/a | 26.2% | – | |
| Free throws (FTM per FGA) | 0.215 | 0.222 | +0.2 | |
| Everything else | −0.6 |
Offensive rebounds weren't recorded for 8 of these 10 games, so rebounding isn't split out; its effect is inside "Everything else".
Pace, last 10average 99.8
Possessions per 48 minutes. The model uses the average of the two teams. Faster games mean more points for both sides, so pace mostly moves the projected total, not the margin.
HOU 97.0 and NOP 102.7 → average 99.8 (league 2025-26 to date: 100.8)
Rotation points missingHOU0.0NOP0.0
Points per game of rotation players (two or more of the last 10 games this season, 15+ minutes) listed Out or Doubtful on the official injury report.
HOU0.0pts/g missing
Every rotation player was available.
Source: official injury report, 2025-12-18 17:30 ET. 8 rotation players.
NOP0.0pts/g missing
Every rotation player was available.
Source: official injury report, 2025-12-18 17:30 ET. 11 rotation players.
RestHOU3 daysNOP4 days
Days since the team's previous game, capped at 5. One day means the second night of a back-to-back.
HOU3days
Last played Dec 15 against DEN.
NOP4days
Last played Dec 14 against CHI.
The last 10 games behind these numbers, box-score totals
HOU
| Date | Opp | Score | FG | 3P | FT | TOV | OREB | Off | Def | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 15 | @DEN | 125–128 | 47-93 | 12-25 | 19-26 | 16 | – | 121.4 | 124.3 | 93.3 |
| Dec 11 | LAC | 115–113 | 43-93 | 12-34 | 17-21 | 18 | – | 119.8 | 118.9 | 95.5 |
| Dec 6 | @DAL | 109–122 | 44-87 | 10-29 | 11-13 | 18 | – | 114.7 | 129.8 | 94.5 |
| Dec 5 | PHX | 117–98 | 45-76 | 10-18 | 17-19 | 21 | – | 118.2 | 100.0 | 98.5 |
| Dec 3 | SAC | 121–95 | 48-91 | 5-16 | 20-24 | 16 | – | 121.0 | 95.0 | 100.0 |
| Dec 1 | @UTA | 125–133 | 41-93 | 10-34 | 33-41 | 13 | – | 116.8 | 123.1 | 107.5 |
| Nov 30 | @UTA | 129–101 | 46-87 | 11-31 | 26-33 | 14 | – | 126.5 | 99.0 | 102.0 |
| Nov 26 | @GSW | 104–100 | 39-99 | 11-39 | 15-24 | 10 | 25 | 114.3 | 109.9 | 91.0 |
| Nov 24 | @PHX | 114–92 | 43-88 | 13-31 | 15-17 | 14 | 12 | 122.6 | 96.8 | 94.0 |
| Nov 21 | DEN | 109–112 | 41-93 | 14-36 | 13-20 | 14 | 18 | 116.0 | 119.1 | 94.0 |
NOP
| Date | Opp | Score | FG | 3P | FT | TOV | OREB | Off | Def | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14 | @CHI | 114–104 | 43-93 | 8-33 | 20-25 | 14 | – | 112.9 | 103.0 | 101.0 |
| Dec 11 | POR | 143–120 | 58-112 | 12-32 | 15-17 | 8 | – | 131.2 | 112.1 | 108.0 |
| Dec 8 | SAS | 132–135 | 51-88 | 7-26 | 23-26 | 9 | – | 124.5 | 128.6 | 105.5 |
| Dec 6 | @BKN | 101–119 | 37-82 | 9-25 | 18-22 | 15 | – | 103.1 | 122.7 | 97.5 |
| Dec 4 | MIN | 116–125 | 43-95 | 7-25 | 23-26 | 12 | – | 105.5 | 111.6 | 111.0 |
| Dec 2 | MIN | 142–149 | 50-91 | 12-21 | 30-35 | 12 | – | 127.9 | 133.0 | 101.0 |
| Nov 30 | @LAL | 121–133 | 46-91 | 13-26 | 16-20 | 8 | – | 122.2 | 134.3 | 99.0 |
| Nov 29 | @GSW | 96–104 | 32-86 | 7-30 | 25-34 | 13 | – | 102.1 | 109.5 | 94.5 |
| Nov 26 | MEM | 128–133 | 50-101 | 19-45 | 9-10 | 14 | 10 | 117.4 | 120.9 | 99.2 |
| Nov 24 | CHI | 143–130 | 53-104 | 13-35 | 24-35 | 10 | 19 | 131.2 | 117.1 | 110.0 |
Off and Def are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions in each game; their averages are the 10-game ratings above. OREB is missing (–) where the source data didn't record it.
The result against the forecast
2025-26 surprise gamesSurprise is measured against this model's forecast, not against what other observers expected. Outcome surprise is −ln(winner's pregame probability): 0.69 for a coin flip, 2.3 for a 10% winner.
Team box score
What happened in the game. These numbers are not used by the forecast, and they are not offered as the reason it missed.
| Team stat | HOU | NOP |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 128 | 133 |
| Field goals | 50–107 · 46.7% | 49–97 · 50.5% |
| Three-pointers | 10–32 · 31.3% | 11–27 · 40.7% |
| Free throws | 18–27 · 66.7% | 24–28 · 85.7% |
| Rebounds | 58 | 41 |
| Assists | 30 | 27 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 12 |
| Steals | 6 | 15 |
| Blocks | 8 | 7 |
How the model does with these teams over time: Houston Rockets · New Orleans Pelicans
Where the forecast differed from the result
| Measure | Forecast | Actual | Actual − forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home margin (NOP) | −12 | +5 | +17 |
| Total points | 238 | 261 | +23 |
| HOU points | 125 | 128 | +3 |
| NOP points | 113 | 133 | +20 |
Recent form before this game
Previous meetings
| Date | Matchup | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 8 2024-25 | NOP at HOU | NOP 117 – 146 HOU |
| Mar 6 2024-25 | HOU at NOP | HOU 109 – 97 NOP |
| Dec 26 2024-25 | HOU at NOP | HOU 128 – 111 NOP |
| Dec 19 2024-25 | NOP at HOU | NOP 113 – 133 HOU |
| Feb 22 2023-24 | HOU at NOP | HOU 105 – 127 NOP |