New Orleans @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 29, 2018 ) Houston 108, New Orleans 104

James Harden looks to stretch his streak of consecutive 30-point efforts to 24 when the Houston Rockets host the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The star guard scored 40 points in Sunday's 103-98 win over the visiting Orlando Magic to reach 40 for the 12th time in the past 17 contests.

Harden has raised his play a level higher than his MVP campaign of a season ago and he helped Houston rally from a 16-point deficit to beat Orlando for its third consecutive victory. "James is going to be James," Houston point guard Chris Paul told reporters after the win. "I don't care who's on the court - me, anybody - he's going to be him. We need him to be him. That's why he's the MVP." The Pelicans dropped their last three games and they appear to be slipping out of the playoff race with Anthony Davis (finger) sidelined and the star big man requested a trade on Monday. "We're not giving up on our season, if that's what everybody thinks," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters after Saturday's 126-114 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs. "We've just got to keep plugging away, and some kind of way, we're going to get this thing turned around."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE PELICANS (22-28): Davis will miss his fifth straight game and his absence has created an opportunity for Jahlil Okafor, who had season highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds in the loss to the Spurs. Okafor recorded three double-doubles in the four games Davis missed and made 36-of-48 shots while averaging 19.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots during the stretch. "Obviously it's fun to play and I was working really hard to try and stay as ready as I can," Okafor told reporters. "My teammates have been really great just supporting me from the bench, talking to me, understanding that I haven't played that much. They have been really patient with me."

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (29-20): Paul returned from a 17-game absence due to a hamstring injury and he recorded 12 points, six assists and three steals in 25 minutes against the Magic. "He looked good," Harden told reporters of Paul. "He looked like he had an extra pep in his step. He looked great and he made some big-time shots. It was good to see him back on the court." Austin Rivers moved back to the bench with Paul back and had just four points on 2-of-7 shooting and is only 21-of-67 over the past seven games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The teams split this season's first two meetings, including the Pelicans rolling to a 131-112 win at Houston on Oct. 17.

2. New Orleans PF Julius Randle (ankle) is questionable after missing the previous two games.

3. Harden has scored 40 or more points on 18 occasions this season.

PREDICTION: Rockets 125, Pelicans 112