The New Orleans Pelicans (26-45) take on the visiting Toronto Raptors (48-23) at the Smoothie King Center. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 26 and will air on FSN and SNT.
The Pelicans lost to the Pacers 92-84 on Thursday. Tim Frazier played well for the Pelicans, contributing 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off a tough 112-109 loss to the Rockets on Friday. Jonas Valanciunas had a solid game, accumulating his 18th double-double of the season with 16 points and 18 rebounds.
Jrue Holiday has really been playing well as of late for the Pelicans, averaging 21.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers over the last five games.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Raptors won the first game 100-81. Kyle Lowry was a top performer in the victory with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, one block, and four three-pointers.
The Pelicans look to improve upon their records of 26-45 Straight Up (SU) and 30-41 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 26-45 SU and 30-41 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The most recent 10 game stretch for the Pelicans has gone great. Over that span, New Orleans’s opponents are averaging 98.5 points per game, well under their season average of 106.3.
Across the court, Toronto has a SU record of 48-23 and an ATS record of 37-33-1. Toronto has records of 48-23 SU and 37-33-1 ATS against the West. The Raptors are shooting very well so far with a .368 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks fourth in the NBA. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Raptors on the defensive end. They allowed 111.8 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 98.3. Toronto has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 12.2 per game.
The Raptors’ win over New Orleans in their last clash brought their SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. Additionally, the Raptors lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“New Orleans is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games “.
“New Orleans is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 6 games “.
“New Orleans is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 5 games at home”.
“New Orleans is 2-9-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Toronto”.
“New Orleans is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Toronto”.
“New Orleans is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Toronto”.
Toronto ranks 15th in points per game with 102.8, while New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed with an average of 106.3 given up.
Toronto puts up an average of 100.8 points per away game (ranked 15th). New Orleans ranks 28th in points allowed per home game with 106.4.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a 9-10 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points. The Toronto Raptors have an 11-9 record when failing to hit triple digits.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 17-35 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Toronto Raptors are 37-14 when they hit triple digits.
The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 103.5 (ranked 20th). The Raptors rank 11th for their defensive rating of 103.2.
The New Orleans Pelicans average 99.5 possessions per game and 1.035 points per possession, while the Toronto Raptors earn fewer possessions (95.2) but more points per possession (1.080).
The Toronto Raptors average an effective field goal percentage of 50.1% this season. The New Orleans Pelicans have an underachieving record of 15-30 when opponents have an EFF% of 50.1% or greater.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans make 21.7 assists per game and the Toronto Raptors make 18.4. New Orleans is ranked 18th, while Toronto is ranked 29th.
New Orleans makes an average of 4.5 blocks per game (ranked 19th). Toronto ranks higher in blocks with 5.3 (ranked 11th).
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 23rd in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
The New Orleans Pelicans make an average of 7.8 steals per game. When the Toronto Raptors allow 7 or more steals, they are a stellar 28-8.
