The New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Houston on Tuesday to take on the Rockets at Toyota Center.

This will be the first time the Pelicans (22-28) take the floor since Anthony Davis' agent came out and said that the perennial All-Star would not sign an extension with the team and would like to be traded. That makes Tuesday night's trip to Houston the first real test for this Pelicans team to see if Davis' desire to be shipped out is a distraction or not. Fortunately, in a way, for the Pelicans, Davis is nursing a sprained left index finger that is expected to keep him out through this weekend, so it will be a while before he is back on the floor with his teammates. What's not fortunate for the Pelicans, however, is that fellow big man Julius Randle is nursing a sprained ankle that has kept him out for each of the last two games. He is currently listed as questionable for Tuesday, but New Orleans could be very light on frontcourt depth yet again if he is out.

As for the Rockets (29-20), they've rattled off three wins in a row and are coming off a comeback victory over the Magic on Sunday. While James Harden, who scored 40 points in Sunday's win, has continued to be stellar with his offensive production, it is Kenneth Faried that is now showing he may be able to take this Rockets' offense to another level. When Clint Capela (thumb) was ruled out for at least a month following surgery, Houston's offense turned into one that completely lacked an inside presence. Now, Faried, who has only been with the Rockets for four games, has helped bring the pick and roll back into head coach Mike D'Antoni's offense, and he is averaging 14.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game with Houston. If the Pelicans are light on big bodies again Tuesday, Faried could prove to be a real problem for them.