The Portland Trail Blazers (45-28) will attempt to lengthen their six-game road winning streak in a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans (43-31) at Smoothie King Center. The game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 221.5 points with New Orleans set as a 1-point favorite.
Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans ATS Prediction
In the Trail Blazers’ last matchup, they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-105. Portland’s rebounding was their largest advantage. The Trail Blazers had 18 offensive rebounds and 49 total rebounds, while the Thunder had 13 and 39, respectively. With 34 points on 14-for-24 shooting, CJ McCollum was the game’s leading scorer.
The Pelicans lost big to the Houston Rockets in their last matchup, 114-91. Houston’s effective field goal percentage was their biggest advantage over New Orleans. The Rockets had a rate of 0.581 (above their season average of 0.553), while the Pelicans posted a mark of 0.427 (below their season average of 0.541). With 25 points on 10-for-22 shooting, Anthony Davis led New Orleans in scoring.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. The sharp-shooting New Orleans offense ranks fifth in the NBA in that metric at 0.539, while the top-notch Portland defense is ranked fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.504).
Portland comes into the game with records of 45-28 straight up (SU) and 40-26-7 against the spread (ATS). Games including the Trail Blazers tend to finish under the total (56.2 percent).
Meanwhile, New Orleans owns records of 43-31 SU and 40-33-1 ATS. Contrary to Portland, games featuring the Pelicans have a tendency to go over the total (59.5 percent).
Jusuf Nurkic has averaged 13.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over the last five games for Portland.
The Pelicans lead the season series against the Trail Blazers two games to one, including a six-point victory the last time these teams met. New Orleans covered as a 4-point favorite and the game finished with a total of 232 points, which was 13 points above the projected point total of 219 points. Making free throws was one of New Orleans’ biggest advantages. They were 22-23 (95.7 percent), while the Trail Blazers were 11-14 (78.6 percent). DeMarcus Cousins put up a double-double in the victory with 24 points and 19 rebounds.
Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans Betting Pick
Free NBA Tip: SU Winner – Trail Blazers, ATS Winner – Trail Blazers, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Portland is 20-12-3 ATS with 21 unders and 14 overs.
New Orleans is 17-19-1 ATS at home with 26 overs and 11 unders.
New Orleans is 10-2 when they allow under 100 points, while Portland is 23-5.
When scoring more than 100 points, the Trail Blazers are 40-15 and the Pelicans are 40-19.
New Orleans ranks third in fast break points per game (15.0) while Portland ranks last (7.9).
The Pelicans rank third in assists per game (26.4) while the Trail Blazers rank last (19.4).
Portland ranks fourth in points allowed in the paint per game (41.8) while New Orleans ranks 27th (47.6).
The Trail Blazers rank fourth in rebounds per game (45.4) while the Pelicans rank 25th in rebounds allowed per game (45.4).
Portland ranks sixth in three pointers allowed per game (26.6) while New Orleans ranks 26th (30.9).
The Trail Blazers average 13.4 second chance points per game, which ranks eighth in the league. The Pelicans rank 28th in second chance points allowed per game (13.6).
Portland ranks fourth in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.8) while New Orleans ranks 23rd (17.4).
The Pelicans average 5.9 blocks per game, which ranks third in the league. The Trail Blazers rank 20th in blocks allowed per game (5.1).
New Orleans ranks 15th in steals per game (7.8) while Portland ranks 29th (6.8).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 3-1-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
New Orleans is 3-1-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Trail Blazers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.0, up from 2.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 107.6 points per game (3.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 105.0 points per game (6.0 below their season average).
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