Rockets @ Pelicans

Who will WIN this matchup?

Houston Rockets (6-3)

@ New Orleans Pelicans (2-7)

Current odds:

Houston Rockets: (-250)

New Orleans Pelicans: (+200)

• The line for this game is Rockets by 6 points.

• The Houston Rockets were looking for a better effort on the defensive end and found it in a 117-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday – their third consecutive triumph. The Rockets will try to make it four in a row and put together another strong effort on the defensive end when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Houston held the Bulls to 37.8 percent from the floor on Sunday while holding an opponent under 100 points for the first time this season. “Effort, plain and simple,” Rockets guard Russell Westbrook told reporters. “We have a scheme; we just don’t want to get away from it … just keep playing. The way to win in this league: You have to defend. There is no night off; you have to defend every single night against some of the best teams.”

• The Pelicans are last in the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 122.4 points, but limited the Charlotte Hornets to 40.9 percent from the floor in a 115-110 win on Saturday. “I think we did a better job defensively; we were able to slow them down in transition,” New Orleans swingman Kenrich Williams told reporters. “…They got a few offensive boards toward the end but for the most part, we didn’t give up that many second-chance points and if we can do those two things, we can win the game.”

• Houston star James Harden is averaging an NBA-best 37.1 points and collected 42 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on Saturday but was focused on the defensive effort after the game. “Our talk, our aggressiveness, we’re getting after it,” Harden told reporters. “We were too soft earlier – the first couple games, we were too soft. So, we’ve got to make teams feel us a little bit more defensively.” The anchor of that defense is center Clint Capela, who collected 16 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks in Saturday’s triumph.

• Veteran shooting guard JJ Redick is trying to find his fit with New Orleans and got off to a slow start before breaking out against Charlotte. Redick, who managed one point in 17 minutes against Toronto on Friday, scored a season-high 22 points and went 5-of-9 from 3-point range against the Hornets. “For the first time this season I feel like we were able to free JJ up for some good looks that he didn’t really try to have to force up,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “I thought we did a good job early on with the pace of the game and we got him into a situation where we were able to drive and kick and have him have some good looks and he took advantage of it I thought.

• Pelicans PG Lonzo Ball (adductor strain) sat out Saturday and is day-to-day.

• Capela recorded a double-double in each of the last three games.

• Houston outlasted New Orleans 126-123 at home on Oct. 26 behind 28 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds from Westbrook.